Quartizine Trio
by Spatial
Summary: Series of slice-of-life, coming of age, and family based episodic stories about Steven and Connie's 3 gem-bearing children: Citrine, Cairngorm, and Morion. Each chapter is a standalone tale in terms of conflict resolution. The chapters are written out of order, but arranged in chronological order, with ages noted. *Newest Chapters: Ch.4-5 Cootles of Fun: Parts 1-3)*
1. Bubble Burst

_Citrine confronts the possibility of a life without gem powers. Contains a bonus "flashback" sub-story!_

_Kids ages: 7/5/3 (flashback: 1/x/x)_.

* * *

Citrine jumps onto the warp pad, getting into position beside her father and her gem-ma Amethyst.

"Eeyah!" She yells, throwing her plump arms out wide and closing her eyes tight. She and her brother, Cairn, have been trying to activate the warp when going on outings with their father and the Gems. The kids know that warping is one of the first gem powers that their dad showed, along with bubbling things and accidentally summoning his shield, and Citrine isn't about to pass up this opportunity on a mission without her little brother to try and be the first one who does it.

The warp activates, carrying them home, and Citrine's eyes fly open, but quickly narrow again.

"Aw, Dad! That was you!" She punches his sturdy leg to no effect as they step off the warp pad, Steven and Amethyst laughing.

"Don't worry Sunspot," Amethyst continues, "I'm _sure_ you'll get it next time!"

"_Uhg_, you two," Pearl lectures as she hovers over gap-toothed Cairn at the counter, "Its cruel to just _assume _that she'll eventually be able to do it on her own-"

"_Pearl_," Connie cuts her off sternly, handing a sleepy Morion to Amethyst on her way to the warp pad in the back of the living room.

"I'm just saying, it's not like she's really a Gem-"

"Pearl!" Both Steven and Connie interject fiercely, silencing the room. Cairn drops the crayon he'd been coloring with, shocked by his parents' outburst. Pearl quickly bends down to retrieve it and to hide her blue-blushed face.

Steven lowers his hand onto Citrine's shoulder, surprising her. She stares at his large, familiar hand, _Why isn't he correcting her? I am a-_

Her mother's hand suddenly alights on Citrine's other shoulder, and she swivels around to look at it's fine… human… features. Her eyes race up to her mother's, to find them aching with.. _pity?_

Citrine's eyes widen, and she looks to Garnet, who remains silent.

"I… I'm not really a gem?" Citrine starts to freak out.

"Of course you are… sorta," Steven fumbles.

"But I'm not… I'm not gem _enough_?" Her eyes flit from her parents' to random objects scattered about the room, geodes from the island sitting on the coffee table, the warp whistle hanging on its peg between the car keys and the umbrella, the portrait of her grandmother over the front door, _gem… gem, gem, Gem. _She steps back, "I am! I can do it! I can activate the warp, I will! I'll have my own weapon! Or a shield even, I don't care!"

"Citrine, it's okay," Connie tries to reassure her, "It doesn't matter, everyone has different abilities, even without gem powers you can be whatever you want… I'm human, and-"

"But…" Another step back and she's on the warp pad. Citrine looks from the strong, magical members of her family, and back to her smart, beautifully delicate-looking human mother and cries, "but I WANT to be a Crystal Gem!" She throws out her arms, like so many times before, desperately wishing to be _anywhere _else.

Connie reaches out to grasp her shoulder, but hesitates, and withdraws, lost for how to comfort her.

Citrine's eyes open, and the tears spill out. She pushes past her mother and father as she runs to her bedroom in the new wing of the house.

"Nice one, Pearl," Amethyst says accusingly, as Morion whimpers in her arms.

"I- I didn't mean…" Pearl looks back to Steven who juts his head to turn her gaze toward Connie, "_I'm sorry…_"

Steven is able to eventually calm his daughter down by reminding her that she's still younger than he was when he first used gem-powers, "there's no need to worry about it now, we'll just bubble it for later," He draws a circle in the air between them, and holds his finger in place until she sniffles and copies him.

"_Boop_," they say in unison when their fingers touch, releasing their hands back as if the 'bubble' has warped down to the basement. He tickles her, "I love you, Sunshine, you know that?"

She giggles, "I knoooow."

He makes eye contact with Connie as she retrieves the younger kids' nightclothes from the adjacent room, "And your mother loves you very much, too, you know," he whispers, "no matter what."

"Yeah," Citrine smiles, buried deep in the bear-like arms of her father, "I know," she giggles as her words make a raspberry sound against his skin, and she smooshes her face against his warm, cushy chest.

"You gotta be careful about…" he trails off, looking into her innocent eyes, "...You know, your mom doesn't have any gem powers... and she still goes on adventures with your Gem-mas and I, she's saved our butts plenty of times. She wields your Grandmother Rose's sword like a warrior goddess… She's just as much a Crystal Gem as I am, no magic powers required. I love her just the way she is..." Steven stares into his daughter's bright eyes, hoping she understands. There's so much they just _don't know_… he doesn't want to lie to her, but he doesn't want to see that hope- that vital belief in herself- fade from her eyes.  
Citrine blinks up at him, then grimaces, realizing that she must have hurt her mother's feelings. Finally pulling away from her father's cozy embrace she plants a kiss on his cheek and jumps off his lap before running out to the living room.

Connie didn't see Citrine rushing toward her because she was helping Morion into faded, star-print PJs. If she wasn't so used to the sound of Citrine's heavy footfall instantly preceding being accidentally knocked to the floor, she likely would have crumpled onto Morion when Citrine collided with her back. Instead she felt her daughter's face against her tensed lower back, pressed into the spot her own gem pressed into her. _She's growing up so fast. _With Morion settled, Connie twists and puts her arm around her daughter, pulling her around to her side and cupping her still-cherubic face.

"murble mu murmb," Citrine murmurs into her mother's wrist.

Connie smiles, heart swelling as she easily deciphers the muffled, chagrin words. She embraces Citrine with both arms and bends down to kiss the top of her head, "I love you, too."

At the entrance to the hallway, Steven leans against the wall, watching them. Morion walks over to him in Citrine's old PJs and Cairn's outgrown slippers, dark hair a long floofy mop, reminiscent of Steven's own. He scoops up Morion and ruffles the toddler's hair, "None of that from you now, kiddo," he looks back over his shoulder to make sure Connie and Citrine are still distracted as he carries Morion to the nursery, "I don't think this house could take it tonight."

The next morning, the kids are playing school in Cairn and Morion's room. Citrine has drawn the letters of Cairngorm's name and he is diligently copying them, his ever-swinging feet shaking the play table as Morion sits atop it, enthralled at the deliberate lines being drawn by the older siblings.

"You wanna try, Ri?" Citrine asks, pulling out a clean sheet of paper and writing Morion's name. "Hold it like this," she puts a purple crayon in ri's hand and guides it over the M a few times before letting go, "M for Mmmorion!"

"I have one, too!" Cairn points to the last letter of his name.

"Mmmm," Morion repeats pensively, retracing the letter, "mmmmm" ri continues, giving the drawn letter more and more legs.

"No, that's not right!" Cairn scowls as his sister laughs, "Citrine!"

"_Mmmmm_?" She answers, then laughs, proud of her own joke.

"You're supposed to be the teacher… Ri's drawing on the table!"

"Oops!" Citrine grabs the crayon out of Ri's hand, the long snaking letter finally coming to an end, "Lets try something else… we'll just bubble this for later," she pantomimes forming a gem bubble around the paper, then draws a whirlwind of circles around Morion's name.

"Ammeh ball, Ammeh ball!" Morion cheers.

Cairn, done with his name, is ready to move on to something else as well. Following his "teacher," he picks up his own paper, and forms a small cairngorm gem bubble around it, silencing ri's chant.

"Woh-"

"_What_!" Citrine grabs at her brother's bubble, which promptly breaks open.

Cairn frowns at her, and bubbles it again. Even though Citrine has two years on him, they're about the same height, but Cairn's longer arms enable him to successfully keep the bubbled paper out of her reach.

Morion, perched atop the table, has no such limitations, and grabs the bubble from between Cairn's hands, "Ammeh ball!"

Both older siblings are surprised when the bubble doesn't doesn't break, but Citrine recovers faster, and tries yanking the gem bubble from Morion, causing it to burst apart again and Morion to start crying.

"Cit_riiine_..." Cairn whines as he re-bubbles his now crumpled paper, and Morion cries accusingly at her.

Citrine's eyes dart from the bubble, to Morion, to Cairn and back, and then, before she can try to grab it again, Cairn warps the bubble away, simple as that.  
Citrine shouts in agonized disbelief, pushing away from her brother and easily knocking him to the ground. All _three _siblings now bawling, Citrine runs out of the room-

-And straight into Garnet.

Citrine bounces off of Garnet's legs and lands with a hard _thud_, knocking the breath out of her, cutting off her cries… but the tears flow on.

Garnet picks her up off the floor, and cradles her in her arms as Citrine tucks herself into her gem-ma's chest. Silently, Garnet carries her to the breakfast nook, where they can easily see and hear the ocean lapping against the beach below.

Slowly, Citrine's heart beat slows, matching the beat of the waves. "Cairn made a bubble," she murmurs.

"That's impressive."

"... and _Morion_ could hold it without it breaking."

"You must be very proud of them."

Sniffling, Citrine glares up at Garnet, considering. "You _knew_." Garnet shrugged, _It was irrelevant_. Citrine crosses her arms and plops back down, turning towards the window. "I… well, I _guess_ it's _kinda_ cool..."

"... but?"

"But. It… it broke when I touched it… They _already _have gem powers and I don't… I'm the _oldest _and I can't do anything. I'm n-never gonna be a real gem like you. It's not… It's not FAIR!" she slams her fist on the window sill as Garnet adjusts her visor.

"Have you ever heard about the time your parents dropped you into the ocean?"

Citrine's face swung around, aghast. "Wait… they... _whaaaat_!?"

"Hmm. It was before Cairn was born-"

"Bet they wouldna' dropped _him,_" she mumbled.

"Connie, Steven, and their baby, Citrine, went out for a sunset ocean run with their pal, Lion..."

They stayed within sight of their home on the beach, but were enjoying just being together, warmed by the sun and refreshed by the gentle spray of water…

… until a curious bull shark erupted out of the waves. Lion barely managed to dodge it, but his sharp jump inadvertently dislodged both Connie and Citrine from his back, and the toddler fell with a plop straight into the water.

Steven and Lion whipped around immediately, trying to figure out where Connie, Citrine, and the shark had all gone. Steven didn't know where Citrine had fallen, but he saw Connie frantically trying to dive to a specific spot and knew that's where she must have seen her hit the water. But Connie could only barely swim, and was struggling and understandably panicking. Afraid for her safety, Steven quickly encapsulated her in a lightweight bubble, keeping her afloat near Lion. He took a deep breath, and dove.

Underwater, the light disappeared quickly, and Steven summoned his shield to act as a lantern. The rosy glow revealed Citrine, dense little thing that she was, sinking quickly… the opportunistic predator in close pursuit. Steven sent a sonic blast out from his shield, knocking the shark far away from his daughter as she hit on the ocean floor and latched onto an escaping sea star. Steven stretched out his hand, forming a rosy gem bubble her. Retracting his arm, he pulled the bubble, full of water, sand, his daugher and her tiny captive, up to him, frantically looking back up to the fading light. It was far... he pushed them towards the surface, but the light from his gem dimmed as he ran out of air...

Suddenly, Connie and Lion appeared under them, and instantly warped them all back to the beach, sending a plume of ocean water crashing down from nowhere.

The bubble around Citrine quickly bursts, and Connie was up on one knee, with Citrine diapered-bum-up in one arm, delicate fingers holding her mouth open, as the other hand delivered firm smacks to her daughter's back, just above the sparkling radiant-cut gem. Steven was on his hands and knees, frantically covering Citrine with big, wet, healing kisses between taking deep, gasping breaths of his own. Connie flipped her over and they finally saw Citrine's face.

Smiling up and looking between them as she shook her new friend, Citrine seemed unfazed by the entire ordeal. Connie shakily released her own pent up breath and stared down at her, dismayed but numb with relief.

Steven collapsed to the ground, rolling over and splaying out in the sand. "This kid is killing me!," he groaned, dragging a hand against his face, then down to his still wildly beating heart. "This goes on for what? 16 more years?" He gazed back up at Connie, so happy to have such an amazing person in his life, to be raising this fascinating, heart-stopping, child with. He couldn't imagine doing it without her…_man, sixteen years will be over too fast._

Connie paused, still processing everything that had just happened. She removed the starfish from where Citrine had been using it as a teether, and let her gnaw on Connie's own finger instead. She looked down at her husband in the sand, saw the love on his face and grinned, reassured, "…I'm pregnant."

"I remember that starfish, it still shows up sometimes when I'm on the beach…" Citrine comments, she looks up at Garnet who stares back at her, silent. "Wait, that's the whole story? I thought you were gonna say something that would make me _feel _better," she pouted.

"Your parents thought you had drowned."

"I've always been a good swimmer," Citrine rolled her eyes, _Apparently her parents had never believed in her. _She followed a crack in the window pane, wondering why she had never noticed it before.

"You were underwater... for a long time."

Citrine just blinked up at her morosely.

"...you should have drowned."

"_Hey_!"

"No, no," Garnet laughed, "I mean you _would _have, if-"

"If dad didn't _slobber _on me?" Citrine pretended to shiver and stuck out her tongue in mock disgust.

"-if you had been Cairn or Morion… or if you didn't have _any _gem powers."

Citrine took a huge breath, a smile blossoming across her face, "Icanholdmybreathforever?!" she filled her cheeks up with air and scrunched her nose as Garnet stared on, but quickly ran out of breath and started gasping for air, throwing accusing looks Garnet's way.

"That's not how it works. You just have to not believe that you do need to breathe."

"...what?"

"Hmm… You know how you sleep on your stomach?"

"It hurts to sleep on my gem."

"You sleep on your face. Covering your nose and mouth."

"...yeah? That's a gem power?" Citrine was unconvinced, her gem-ma's advice giving skills were really going downhill, "Gems don't even _sleep._"

"Have you ever seen anybody _else_ sleeping like that?"

"No… nobody? Wait, Gem-ma Amethyst!"

"Correct," Garnet smiles, booping Citrine on the nose.

"Ha.. HaHA!" Citrine laughs, jumping up on Garnet's legs, "I have a gem power! I! AM! a! GEM!" She shouts in joy, and suddenly, unable to hold out any longer, the window shatters.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Feedback appreciated! I have a few ideas for these characters outlined, but feel free to leave suggestions! If you'd like to see my art of these characters check out my tumblr!_


	2. Taken by Storm

The kids unwittingly find themselves in their first gem battle.

_Kids Ages: 7.5/5.5/3.5_

* * *

With a flash of light and a terrified scream, the three children fell back to the surface of the warp pad. Within seconds their pajamas were soaked through.

"Not the laundry room!" Citrine shouted worriedly, "We can't be up here! Not in a storm!"

"This is the only place I know how to go!" Cairn cried out, "Here and the living room!" Morion clung to Cairn, anchoring them in place against the wind that seemed determined to fling them to the rocks below.

Citrine jumped off the elevated disk and peered over the edge of the temple goddess's hand as the violent wind battered the laundry unfortunate enough to have been left out on the line. They were up too high to jump or to climb down the slick rocky cliff, especially with little Ri. She glanced behind her at her younger siblings, then back down to their house, a thick curl of smoke snaking out of an ugly charred hole in the roof near the front door. She'd rather take her chances down there with those _things_.

"You hafta warp us back down! Before-"

_**CRASH**_

A deafening clash of thunder knocked them sideways as the sky filled with blinding light.

Flinching, Cairn involuntarily activated the warp pad, sending Morion and himself right back into the trap they had just escaped, and leaving Citrine stranded out in the storm alone.

The rushing sound of the warp stream provided a fleeting calm. "Mah? Da? Ammeh?" Morion looked up to Cairn, questioning.

"They'll be home soon," Cairn reassured, "The Gems were just going out to Canary Cove to get Mom and Dad... and figure out what was wrong with the warp… maybe they'll be back?! When we warp in!?" He managed a confident smile, but Morion was not convinced.

Inside the house, the sound of the storm was hardly muffled by the battered walls and hole-riddled roof, only adding to the chaos of the flailing monsters that thrashed around the front of the house. They moved like squids, tensing into tight balls and then bursting forward. Although they were smaller than Morion, their shape was hard to determine... instead of flesh or stone, they seemed to be made of fog and sparks, and at first Cairn had had trouble determining if it was a hoard of monsters or just one.

Initially, Cairn felt the sparks were scarier than the fog, or at least more dangerous.

When the first one had hurtled through the roof and set the dining table on fire, Cairn knew it was time to evacuate. With the stairs and front door blocked by the fire and fog monsters, the three of them had headed for the magic door at the back of the living room. They'd managed a few frantic pounds before the creatures reached them...

Cairn couldn't remember landing on the warp pad, only suddenly being there, and Citrine begging him to "Warp us out!"

He'd only recently managed to activate the warp on his own, and Gemma Pearl had helped him perfect getting to and from the laundry room… but Citrine had never asked him to warp before. He forgot that she still couldn't…and that Morion couldn't either.

Morion's grip tightened on Cairn as the lightning crashed again, bringing his thoughts crashing back to the present. Cairn could feel his younger sibling trembling, "It'll be okay," Cairn soothed, "the Gems will-"

"_Ooomf_!"For the second time that night, Cairn was sent flying by an ethereal attacker.

"Cair!" Morion cried out as Cairn landed on his back, near the cave wall. Cairn immediately tried to stand, but quickly fell back down as a weight crashed against his chest. Looking down, he saw the smoke that was the monster, far heavier than its transparent wispy nature would lead one to believe. Tendrils of smoke splayed out around them, searching. A stray spark reflected in the facet of the exposed gem on his chest, and in a panic Cairn lifted his hands to cover the essential stone, reaching through the heavy shadow. Agitated by his movements, the fog reacted with a spray of sparks, delivering a paralyzing shock straight to his gem.

It seemed to be a rallying cry, as the weight on his chest increased further, multiple … they had to be offspring monsters, piled up on top of him, seeming to jocky for position closest to the stone on his chest. Unable to move his limbs, the tendrils of thought in his mind scattered. What had happened to Citrine? Where were the Gems? Why had this monster attacked? Was the fire going to burn down their house? Where were mom and dad?! What had happened to... Morion?

Cairn could barely make out the sound of Morion's frantic humming on the opposite side of the room, where another fog monster clung to the small child's head, a tendril searching in vain for the concealed gem. Ri dived under the coffee table, knocking the thing off, and finally, _-finally- _the warp pad activated and they heard the familiar sound of Pearl's voice.

"_-pose_ it could have something to do with that fog- Ahhh!"

"Wha!? They're here, too!?" Amethyst leaped off the warp pad and she and Garnet ran toward the fray.

Frantically spinning around, Connie was the first to make out the shape under the pile of thick smoke behind them.

"Cairn!"

"Don't Move!" Steven shouted in warning as Connie rushed forward with her sword. Thin tendrils whipped out and wrap around the blade, pulling Connie to the ground beside Cairn. Garnet grabbed at the smoky tendrils with her bare hands, pulling one of the monsters off of Cairn as the others scattered with a renewed speed. Weapon forgotten, Connie pulled Cairn into her lap and quickly checked him over, hugging him to her chest when she couldn't find any sign of damage.

"They're fast now, too!?" Amethyst cried with disdain, flinging away a monster that had landed on her chest.

Steven leaped after two of them and landed on the stone floor empty handed, "Man, its like trying to catch Cairn for bedtime!"

Eyes widening with a sudden realization, Connie turned back to the boy she had wrapped in her arms, "Did they zap you, too!?" He nodded shakily and grasped at his Gem. "They're taking your powers."

"What?!" Steven turned, wrestling a smoke monster in each hand.

"Don't let them zap your gems! They're taking your powers! Thats why you couldn't warp, or call your weapons!"

"Or see," Garnet scowled as the smoke in each of her bare palms lit up, "... darn."

Dodging a ball of smoke as it sailed toward her head, Pearl groaned in annoyance, "Well good thing we didn't _all _let them zap us!" Calling forth her weapon, she quickly sliced the smoke that was reared up to zap Steven's belly gem again.

It poofed.

They all stopped to look at the empty space.

"No gem!"

"Its a mother!"

Connie deposited Cairn into Steven's arms and bent to retrieve her sword.

"Cairn," Steven said with a false calm, "Where are Citrine and Morion?"

Cairn didn't answer, _he didn't know._

As the fire raged on, Connie and Pearl cleared the living room in tandem, sword and spear mirroring each other with years of practice and complete trust. Blindly shaking her head, Garnet sprinted into the kids rooms, kicking smoke monsters into dust as she cleared both rooms and the hall bath before returning to the living room, "They're not back there!"

"Ha, I'm back!" Amethyst shouted triumphantly as she shifted into a hose and quickly put out the remaining flames with water from the kitchen sink.

"Me too," Steven called from where he had been finishing off the smokes that kept launching themselves at him and Cairn.

Cairn lay cradled between the rose shield and his father's reassuring bulk. He felt his intake of breath, and subsequent bellow, "CITRINE!? MORION?!"

"They're close," Garnet stood in the center of the living room and eyed the few remaining smokes as they clung to the ceiling beams, "I can feel…" Morion's little fingers reached out from under the coffee table, and latched onto her boot.

"Morion!" The rose sword clattered to the ground as Connie pulled her youngest child from the wreckage. Steven rushed over, and they both assured themselves that Ri was unharmed.

Seeing Cairn, Morion gasped and held out a tiny cupped hand, "Cit's outside!"

Dodging puddles and the remaining monsters, the family poured out of the house to see Citrine under siege. A pair of sparky fog monsters had her cornered at the edge of the temple's hand as they attempted to reach the golden gem on her lower back. Slowly skirting the edge as the rain poured down, she didn't notice the rescue team's arrival or the danger rising up just below her. Beneath the stone hand, a smokey blob crackled with electricity, bolts of static racing up between amorphous thick grey arms. An angry red and black orb was nestled at the base, while the arms reached up toward her like a nightmare-fuelled campfire.

"Citrine!"

Pearl launched a spear at one of small pouncing monsters on the hand as others raced toward the mother on the ground below.

At the sound of her name, Citrine whipped around as the the second offspring lunged. Slippery from the rain, her foot slipped and she plummeted over the edge, arms pinwheeling as she rushed through the air.

With a violent flick of his free arm, Steven bubbled her in midair, and she crashed down onto the gem mother. Smashing through the arms the hard bubble struck its gem, poofing it and the few remaining offspring.

Propelled forward by the momentum of the fall, Citrine was flung around inside the protective shell as the bubble careened toward the others like a wayward bowling ball.

Leaping into its path as he released the bubble, Steven caught her and tumbled back into the sand.

"Where were you!?" She cried as she buried herself in his arms, shooting confused glances out at Garnet and Connie.

"Those things zapped our gems and took our powers," Amethyst explained as she rushed past, "We couldn't get the warp to work to get back-"

The others quickly headed back up the stairs, hurrying to get the rattled children out of the cold rain.

"Citrine," Amethyst called out as she caught back up with them on the deck, "looks like you poofed your first gem!" Amethyst waved the purple bubble in front of her, the black and white streaked red orb jostling around inside in an unsettlingly familiar way.

Pushing her aside, Citrine rushed to the railing and leaned over it, hurling her dinner onto the sand below.

Pearl jabbed Amethyst who was looking on with disgust. Shaking her head, the purple gem quickly warped the bubble away.

Steven patted Citrine on the back, still holding Cairn and Morion in his other arm. He turned when he heard a sound of dismay from Connie. Standing with the front door open, water poured down from the holes in the ceiling, puddling onto the scorched floorboards. The Gems entered and quickly started putting things to rights, picking up pieces of the dining table, scattered nick knacks, destroyed cushions, and toppled chairs. It wasn't the first time they'd had to repair the house, in fact they'd become quite adept at repairing damage caused by alien spacecraft, hurricanes, corrupted gem monsters, robonoids, falling rocks, out of control magical weapons… emotional outbursts... it seemed their home was a magnet for destruction. Steven felt the bundles in his arms shivering and feared it wasn't the cold that was getting to them.

"Maybe... we should move," Steven admitted sadly.

Connie straightened her back and stepped forward, "We've seen worse."

"They haven't," Steven countered quietly, adjusting his arms.

* * *

**A/N:**

Take a breath, and keep reading. It'll be okay.


	3. Together Weather

The Universes cope with the stressful events of the evening.

(Immediately after _Taken by Storm_)

* * *

"_They_ haven't," Her partner's heavy words were whispered.

Connie heard him though, and turned back around.

Looking each of their kids in the eyes, she stepped back towards them, closing the screen door behind her. The rain still fell down around her family, and Citrine sniffled loudly. Connie stroked Citrine's cheek, then brushed her hand along Steven's full arms. She carefully took Morion in one arm and Steven's hand in the other, letting her eyes reassure him. When he gave her a small nod, she led them all around the side of the house, up the ship's ladder to the balcony outside of the master suite.

When the sliding door closed behind them, it was finally dry and quiet and warm. The corrupted monster hadn't entered here, all was as it should be in this insulated corner of their world.

Steven pulled off his wet clothes as Connie took the kids into the bathroom. Removing their wet pajamas, she started a warm bath in the soaker tub.

Steven entered in his pajamas, wrapping his arms around Connie. He pressed his lips to her chilled shoulder, "Go put on something dry," he whispered, nudging her away so he could take her spot on the edge of the tub.

Wetting a wash cloth he wiped the tears from Morion's eyes, then cleaned Citrine's face. Cairn sat under the onslaught of warm water, legs splooshing the bathwater around him, long brown hair shielding his downturned face. His hands clenched against his gem.

Handing him a cup a water to distract him, Steven took a peek at the smoky brown stone. It looked undamaged, but Steven used another wash cloth to subtly lather it with some healing spit, just to be sure.

Connie returned a few moments later in her night clothes, hair braided, with three of Steven's faded pink star shirts.

Lifting Morion out of the water, Connie wrapped the sleepy youngster in a thick fluffy towel. Pulling the plug, Steven helped Citrine up for her towel.

He ruffled Citrine until she burst out in silly giggles, "There's my Sunshine," he smiled, lifting her out of the receding water and setting her next to Morion.

Connie wrapped the last towel around Cairn, but before she could tuck it in, he squirmed out of it hurriedly.

"Nnnuuuh..."

"Cairn?" Steven picked up the barely damp towel, and looked back at him, questioning.

Tears welling up in his eyes, Cairn silently held out his arms. Steven pulled him close, leaning him against his nightshirt with a gentle hand and softly patting his back dry with the towel. He did his best to take deep, calm breaths, knowing Cairn would follow, but it didn't stop the tears from falling from his own eyes.

Connie pulled star shirts over Citrine and Morion's head's, kissing each of them on the forehead.

"They smell like Dad!" Citrine giggled, and Morion pulled the shirt up to take a huge breath through the old fabric. Smiling in agreement, Morion sucked on the collar and watched as Citrine twirled, the oversize t-shirt billowing out around her like a dress.

Connie grabbed the last shirt and turned to Cairn, uncertain. She held it out to him as he shivered, hair still dripping water. He nodded and she helped him pull the shirt on over his head. She adjusted it when it started slipping down over his thin shoulders, and he smiled up at her shakily.

Steven hoisted up Citrine and Morion under each arm and carried them out to the bedroom. Plopping down on the bed, he pulled back the duvet and ushered them under it. He could hear Connie blow-drying Cairn's hair, _and probably the rest of him_. Steven wrapped his arms around his children, relieved when they enthusiastically hugged him back. The bathroom light clicked off and Connie and Cairn entered the room.

"Come on, Universe-pile," Steven held out his hand to Cairn who took it. He crawled on to the duvet and laid next to Morion, staring up at the ceiling. Connie crawled in beside him, under the cover, and reached her arm over the kids to grasp Steven's hand. Fingers locked together, they rested their hands over Cairn.

His leg shook with a steady rhythm atop the duvet.

It would be a long night.

But they weathered it.

Together.

* * *

**A/N:**

_Taken by Storm_ has actually been written/planned out for a while, (there are a few reactions/references to this event that you might have noticed if you've read later chapters) but I always felt like it was too disheartening to post. _Together Weather_ was the solution, inspired in part by that quiet moment at the end of _Winter Forecast, _and my own inescapable need for Cairn to have been right when he promised Morion "It'll be okay." Even if Okay is far from Perfect. I know _Together Weather_ is pretty light on dialogue but I do believe that Steven and Connie would make a point to talk to the kids about what happened, and work together to make sure nothing like this ever happened again.

The corrupted gem monster from _Taken by Storm_ is Cinnabar Azeztulite, if anyone was interested!


	4. Confusion (Cootles of Fun: Part 1)

**Cootles of Fun**

**Part 1: Confusion**

_A Quiet Day is disrupted by more abstract foes: Miscommunication, Assumption, and Omission..._

_Kids Ages: 8/6/4_

* * *

Morion stood at the entrance to the hallway, rabbit-slippered feet poking out from under the oversized t-shirt that ri had dug out of the closet to wear to bed last night. The shirt was soft and faded, and despite the fact that it had long lost the comforting smell that Morion associated it with, it was still mor best shield against the disruptive changes of the season.

Changes in temperature, sights and smells, and schedule…

It was a weekday, Morion was sure, but Cairn sat at the kitchen counter, mixing a bowl of yellow dough. The savory smell of roasting fowl wafted from the kitchen, where Steven and Connie were busy preparing what seemed to be multiple meals at once in their matching pajamas. Their gathering of ingredients and utensils could pass for a choreographed dance set to the music that drifted down from the loft computer.

Directly to Morion's right, Citrine sat with her stocky legs dangling over the arm of the overstuffed chair. Still clad in her own loungey pajama shorts, she was absorbed in Tubetube playing on the tablet in her lap.

Morion's eyes glanced up to the clerestory windows, where bright mid-morning sun streamed in through a curtain of melting icicles. It was long past time for Cairn and Citrine to be in school, and yet nobody seemed rushed or frantic… and no one had come to wake mor up.

Morion glowered at Citrine, willing her to look up and explain this nonsense. They'd been home yesterday and the day before that, today was supposed to be Quiet Day, not Funday or Family Day…

_pop! crack!_

Morion recoiled from the sound of the log splitting in the fireplace. The most disturbing change yet, the typically quiet chiminea now roared constantly with the heat of hungry flames, menacingly threatening their home, yet largely ignored by the rest of the family. Staring into the hypnotic glow of the blaze was unsettling, especially when its arms seemed to reach out viciously-

Citrine looked up at the sound of the low whine coming from the shadowed recesses of the hallway. Morion stood motionless, pressed against the wall, staring nervously at the fireplace. Citrine let the tablet fall to the well-worn cushion as she straightened and slid off the chair. Her bare feet hit the chilled planks of the hardwood floor without a flinch. She padded over to Morion and wrapped her plump arms around mor, embracing the younger sibling in a much needed hug before carrying mor out to the kitchen. Citrine hefted Morion up into the stool next to Cairn and slumped against the smaller child's lap.

"You're getting big!"

Morion's head shook and ri pointed to the old slippers on mor feet.

"I know they still fit," she flicked one of the three remaining ears of the slippers that used to be her own, "but you're getting heavy." Citrine turned to watch as their parents danced around each other in the kitchen, preparing an odd mixture of dishes. Steven was gathering the ingredients for pancakes or waffles while Connie transferred warm dough onto a sheet of wax paper to roll it into a flat circle of cashew fudge.

Citrine's mouth watered at the thought of the sweet silver-leafed delicacies even as her stomach rumbled in anticipation of the breakfast Steven was cooking. She jumped when Morion's cold hands touched her skin, poking her pointedly in what would be her biceps. Citrine laughed and flexed, "Yup, you're big but I'm still strong enough to carry you!"

"Is this good?" Cairn asked, tipping the bowl to face Connie.

"A little more," she smiled, flicking the hair that fallen down over her eyes out of her face.

"But my arms are tired."

"I bet Cootle's arms wouldn't be tired," Citrine cajoled, eyes brightening as she wrapped a hand around one of the legs of Cairn's stool, pulling it closer to where she leaned against Morion.

"Cootle?" Steven reached over Connie as she washed her hands at the sink to grab another mixing bowl off the top of the cabinet.

"Their arms are big and strong like mine!"

"Oh, I don't think I've met them yet! Where do they live?" The bowl he needed was in the middle of the rainbow-colored ceramic stack.

"Uh, here at the house, I guess… I'm not sure they live anywhere-"

"Ah, sounds like someone has an imaginary friend," Connie smiled, taking the bowl of dough from Cairn and kneading it.

"Oh, awesome, Sunshine!" Steven moved as if to ruffle her curls before deciding against it, the split stack of bowls still balanced precariously in his arms, "You can never have too many friends."

"...Imaginary?" Cairn asked hesitantly, eyes shifting from Citrine's to Morion's.

"Made up," Connie explained, "Someone you created all on your own, that other people don't see and can't talk to without you." Her face softened with nostalgia before she continued on with a more personal note, "Lots of kids have them, it's fun to have someone who always wants to do what you want."

"Cootle's not imagerie!" Citrine laughed and shook her head, "Cairn-?"

But Cairn turned away from her pointedly and crossed his arms, wanting the subject dropped. Citrine frowned and turned to Morion, who sat quiet as ever, wide eyes taking in every word and reaction, but revealing nothing. Upset, Citrine pushed away from both of her sibling's stools "-of course _you _won't say nothin' neither!"

Everything happened at once then, her thoughtless push causing the stools to wobble and tilt, Cairn and Morion both reaching out to steady themselves on the counter as the stools fell out from under them. Their matching looks of startled terror called Steven and Connie to react with reflexes honed in years of training and battle. Steven reached quickly for Morion with his left hand, managing to balance the stack of bowls in his burly right arm against his chest, even though the medium sized bowl he'd been wanting sat under the larger bowls on the bottom of the stack. At the same time, Connie tossed the dough bowl onto the counter, where it spun like a top but would have come to a peaceful rest if Cairn hadn't hit it with his long flailing arms as Connie grabbed him. Instead, it careened into the stack of empty bowls in Steven's hand, and the entire set fell to the floor and shattered into hundreds of multicolored dough-covered pieces.

Citrine scrambled away as the bowls exploded on the ground.

"Citrine!" Connie shouted, startling her enough that she fell to all fours and half-crawled-half-stumbled to her room down the hall.

Steven pulled Morion into his arms and laid a gentle hand on Connie's shoulder, jolting her focus back to her prone position.

"Are you okay?" Connie asked Cairn, her hands still wrapped around his arms in a vice-like grip, his head and shoulders the only part of him visible over the counter. He nodded and she released him slowly, but he didn't budge.

Cairn sighed as his cheeks reddened, "My feet are touching the ground."

After a surprised stretch of silence, Connie's shoulder's shook as she emitted a sound somewhere between a hiccup and a laugh. Another followed and soon the hysterical sounds filled the room.

Careful not to move his feet amongst the minefield that was their kitchen floor, Steven leaned down to peer at Connie's through the veil of silky, shoulder-length hair that had that had fallen across her face as she looked down on the mess at their feet. "Are _you_ alright?"

"We don't have any other bowls," was her only reply. He was about to chuckle when she looked up at him, and he saw panic setting in as adrenaline faded, "They'll be here tonight, and I have to remake the dough and you were making breakfast for the kids and I-"

"Connie, Connie, it's okay," He sat Morion back down on the counter and motioned for Cairn to make sure ri didn't fall, then reached out and lifted Connie out of the ceramic shards and on to the counter in front of him. He checked her bare feet and lower legs for any cuts, then pressed his forehead to her's until her breath evened out and her eyes refocused on him. "We'll go get more bowls, there's still plenty of time, the kids are fine with cereal, it's almost lunch time anyway."

"Yeah, yeah... okay, wait, no, someone has to stay and watch the turkey-" she turned toward the oven, where the bird was slowly roasting, "...and clean up this mess…" A quick look at the floor and she realized they had another problem, "How are _you _planning on getting out of there?"

"I figured you'd just carry me out?" He feigned a childish pout.

"What-" she barely had time to laugh before he had shifted down to a familiar compacted form and the arms that had lifted her up effortlessly moments ago were now suddenly clinging to her neck. They chuckled together as Connie swiveled around on the counter, dropping him next to Cairn and Morion. He was grown again before his feet touched the ground, and he offered his hand to help Connie down.

"You two go get dressed, socks and shoes, it's cold outside," Steven reminded, though neither child immediately moved.

Connie eyed the hallway that Citrine had disappeared down and sighed heavily, "Hopefully this _Cootle_ will have a quelling effect…"

"She didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know she didn't," Connie reached out and wrapped a slender finger around one of Morion's springy curls. "We need to find a better outlet for all that energy…" Connie stilled, mind abuzz, until Morion leaned into her hand reassuringly. Connie blinked and smiled down at her youngest child, gently nudging both children toward the hall, "Go on, you two be good for your Dad today."


	5. Commotion (Cootles of Fun: Part 2)

**Cootles of Fun**

**Part 2: Commotion**

_Unexpected discoveries and boundless distractions._

_(Set Immediately after Part 1: Confusion)_

* * *

The four of them waddled carefully into the mall. Well, Steven and Citrine waddled, Cairn slid across the ice as if he was on skates, and Morion had insisted on being carried across the slick, slush-covered parking lot. The clear skies over Beach City hadn't joined them on their hour-long drive, and Steven reminded himself to thank Pearl again for the new tires she'd had put on the van earlier this month.

"Can we get Julies?" Citrine asked as she yanked off her jacket and knotted the arms around her waist.

"Mmmmm," Morion agreed, nodding enthusiastically. The strawberry smoothies were Morion's favorite.

"We just ate lunch!" Steven reminded them, setting the heavily bundled youngster on the tile so he could examine the digital map on the wall. Everytime he thought he'd located the store he was looking for, the map would disappear as another ad played, activated by an embedded camera sensing his flustered movements. Citrine turned to Morion as she made a face behind their father's back. Morion grinned, shooting a calculating glance at up Steven as Citrine's gaze darted around the two-story lobby.

Although she'd been here before, the constantly changing atmosphere never failed to catch her attention. Various colorful storefronts lined the walls, highlighting their best products in graphic window displays alongside fanciful images of winter. Others were decorated with an eclectic collection of lights in celebration of the solstice later that week. Firework-themed posters and screens advertised sales for the quickly approaching New Year, sending sparks of color bursting up every time someone strolled by them. People milled about in small groups. Seniors made use of the heated interior to power walk in relative safety, teenagers lounged about, enjoying the start of winter break, and excited shoppers bogged down with bags examined kiosks and windows for their next purchases. Citrine figured the entire town of Beach City would fit inside, it was by far the biggest building she'd ever been in.

Morion tugged on Citrine's jacket to get her attention, then mimed a drinking motion, nodding back up at Steven's broad back.

"Huh, oh!" she whispered conspiratorially after taking a few seconds to puzzle out Morion's meaning. "But Dad, that was _food,_ Julies are _drinks. _So lunch doesn't count." Morion smiled and nodded.

Steven spared them an exasperated glance, which was a mistake in hindsight, they were just too cute when they wanted to be, early masters of the puppy-dog face combined with those big brown eyes they'd gotten from Connie. Forget that they had eaten out for lunch, and had to drive all the way out to the mall in Ocean Town and back in the gas guzzling old van, and were about to drop a fortune on-

A loud thud nearby had them all turning toward an bearded older gentleman as he leaned against an awkwardly sized box that was sliding slowly down the wall. With a dismayed look through the wall of glass facing the dreary parking lot, he hitched the box back up a little higher on a slightly trembling leg. He took a few steadying breaths, psyching himself up for the daunting task ahead of him.

Three mismatched little faces quickly swiveled back to give Steven identical expectant looks.

"Hi, I'm Steven! Would you like some help carrying that out?"

The man blinked in surprise, not having realized he had garnered such attention. The ready dismissal clear on his face fades as he takes in the veritable giant of a man before him. Any fear Steven's sizable frame might inspire was washed away instantly by the round features of his openly kind expression. The ease at which his aid was offered insures everyone that helpfulness is simply in his nature, and isn't rooted in pity or duty or draped in ulterior motives. Steven helps others because he wants to, and because he can, while somehow making you feel like you're the one doing him a favor.

Citrine smiled as the man nodded and introduced himself. She loved going places with their dad because they always got to meet so many new people. Steven wrapped his arms around the box and followed the man out the door, pausing to tell the kids to wait right by the door where he can see them.

Citrine and Morion watched as Steven chatted alongside the other man as they slowly made their way to his car as snow turns into a sleety mixture. A heavily freckled young adult passes them as she walks toward the mall, focusing on her shuffling tennis shoes. The dark beanie on her blue-streaked hair was pulled down low, which is probably why she didn't see the car until it right there in front of her. Her arms pinwheel as she jumps back, her feet slip out from under her and she landed hard on her right hand.

Citrine jumps and heads to the door, only to be pulled back Morion, who's pointing back at their dad. They watch Steven move quickly to the fallen girl's side. They exchange a few words, and then the girl nods, face laced with pain. Steven gently picks her up and carries her inside, the automatic doors sliding open to admit them. Citrine and Morion follow as Steven carries her to the first T intersection of the mall's wide halls, where built-in benches and lush planters ring an enclosure that typically houses a shallow pool and fountain. It's been drained and filled with colorful balls for the season, and a pair of toddlers are tossing the plastic orbs about as their mothers watch on.

"Alright now, Tilde," Steven rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger to mask the movement of his other three fingers brushing against his wettened lips, "Tell me if this hurts?"

Steven gently brushed his fingers against her wrist, and though she flinched at the initial contact, the sharp pain she had felt earlier did not return. She sat soundly on the concrete seat as Steven kneeled in front of her, but with her slight frame, he could easily see over her shoulder.

"Wait here for a bit, see if it doesn't stop hurting, I'll be right back."

"Where did Cairn go?" Steven jogged back to where Citrine and Morion stood, leaving the confused teenager cradling her rapidly healing broken wrist.

"I 'unno," Citrine shrugged.

Morion pointed across the concourse to a window display where a trio of fashionable mannequins were dressed in stately winterwear on a raised platform. The short, round model was sporting a puffy, quilted jacket, and the tall hourglass shaped figure rocked studded open-finger gloves and boxy trapper hat… but Cairn stood behind the slender central mannequin, tugging on the long scarf draped elegantly around it's delicate neck.

"Hey you, kid, stop that!" The clerk rushed out from behind the register, one hand reaching out to steady the tilting form while the other snatched the end of the scarf out of Cairn's impatient fingers.

"I want to try it on!" Cairn insisted as he was promptly escorted to the shop's entrance. The clerk barely spared a disapproving glance at Steven before spotting Tilde sitting at the fountain-turned-ball-pit. He shot her a scalding glare before bustling back to the register where a line of customers waited, mumbling pointed apologies about being understaffed.

Steven caught Cairn's hand in his and Citrine's in the other, intending to stop by the fountain area to check on his impromptu patient before continuing on their errand. A pack of excited college students exiting from the movie theater down the hall slowed the Universes, and by the time they made it back, Tilde was gone. Surreptitiously searching the crowd for her, Steven let Citrine's insistent tugging as they dodged departing shoppers lead them straight to the Julie's counter.

"Please Dad!" She held her fists under her chin and smiled up at him as if they'd ended up here on accident.

"Citrine-"

"But I brought my birthday money!"

"You still have some left?" He was surprised, her birthday had been nearly two months ago.

"I think so," she pulled a few wadded bills and a handful of coins out of her jacket's pocket and held them up to show Steven. "Is it enough?" He kneeled down to help her count it out, she'd be able to afford a small cup at least.

Morion tugged on Steven's pant leg as he held Citrine up at the counter so she could order and pay for purchase.

"You want to spend your birthday money, too?" Steven chuckled as Morion made a sour face, "Alright, if you're sure?" Morion nodded and they moved aside to a bench to wait for the aproned worker to blend Citrine's smoothie.

Cairn circled a round planter in rhythm with the tango music spilling from hidden speakers, stalking around it until he came the the same spot then spinning and pacing back around the other way, hand gliding gently along the polished surface. After examining the greenery and realizing it was plastic, Morion returned to Steven's side, bored. Ri leaned against Steven's leg until he lifted it, mimicking the sounds and movement of a bucking mustang as Morion giggled and held on, tiny limbs wrapping as far as they could around Steven's muscular leg.

Citrine rushed over to them gleefully, sipping on the treat in her hands.

Morion hurriedly slid off of Steven's leg, arms outstretched to the cup. Mouth full, Citrine offered the straw to Morion before swallowing, "It's lemon-orange tho-"

But her warning came too late, and the sizable sip Morion had taken was suddenly sprayed over Citrine and Steven.

"Mori!" Citrine giggled as she wiped the mess off her face, but Steven had grabbed the youngster and rushed to a nearby water fountain. Morion's eyes had filled with tears, and ri held out mor tongue, the small dark gem embedded there coated in the slushy, sticky, acidic mixture. Eyes held tight, Steven had to splash water into Morion's mouth a few times before ri released where they were and leaned forward into the stream to rinse mor mouth out multiple times before downing great gulps of water. Sated, ri pushed away and Steven let out a relieved sigh before taking a drink of water for himself.

Steven planted a kiss on the youngster's forehead as they headed back to the bench, only to find Citrine and Cairn frozen in place, watching them nervously. Citrine's eyes flicked down to the drink still in her hands, and Steven feared she was ready to vault it across the room.

"Mori's okay, just... no sour citrusy things for mor. You can still drink your Julie, Citrine, but let us know if it's orange or anything tangy like that, okay?"

"Was it your gem?" Cairn asked concerned, staring at Morion's mouth as if he could see straight through to the stone as he shifted anxiously from side to side.

Morion's only response was to turn and bury mor face into Steven's chest.

Steven sat back down and slowly rocked Morion in his arms for a few long minutes. Citrine sat leaning against them as she sipped on her drink and watched as other shoppers passed by or made purchases as the kiosks and vending machines while Cairn paced around them.

"Mmmdpf!" Citrine suddenly sputtered as she tried to talk before swallowing the gulp of smoothie in her mouth. She wiped her hand against her face before smacking it against Steven's arm, "Dad, Dad, look!" She pointed up to the second level mezzanine, where a kiosk displayed various tacky themed automobile accessories.

Hanging between a seagull feathered steering wheel cover and Crying Pear antennae topper were a pair of fist-sized, glittery, bright red cherries connected to a green cord long enough to drape over a rear view mirror.

"Gregpa!" Citrine cheered, shaking Steven as she pushed excitedly against his arm.

"Where!?" Cairn scowled, looking around for their grandfather.

"Come on!" Steven laughed as he jumped up with Morion, Citrine's infectious joy getting to him, and they hurried to the nearest escalator. Cairn followed, perturbed, unsure what the commotion was about.

Newly purchased fuzzy cherries in hand, they were heading back across the mall in a single-file hand-linked line to more easily weave amongst the other visitors when Steven glanced back and about had a heart attack.  
"_Citrine_," He took a breath to steady his voice as he addressed the abbreviated end of the Universe train, "where's Mori?"  
"Right, he- wait…" she held up the hand that had been clamped around her younger sibling's, flipping it over as she might find Morion on the other side, "uh..."  
Luckily, at that point, a shopper a few feet back stepped around them and Steven caught sight of Morion, two stores away.

Morion's face was pressed against the glass, big round eyes staring at the little novelty bags on display at perfect child-height. There was a handbag shaped and realistically detailed to look like a manicured hand, backpacks resembling various chelonian shells, and a messenger bag in the shape of a giant envelope, complete with wax-seal clasp and a stamp-shaped plastic sleeve to showcase a favorite photograph. However, Morion was focused on one of a few small, round animal faces, whose mouths could be opened to hold coins or other minuscule objects. Steven let out a nostalgic laugh as he glanced at the _Wacky Sacks_ sign over the door.

Without looking away, Morion reached into a coat pocket and retrieved a single shiny quarter.

"Okay, okay," Steven corralled them into the store and after browsing through the inventory, they bought the coin purse shaped like a frog head with a zippered mouth. The brightly colored pull dangled to the side like a tongue. Morion wiggled the bag and stuck out mor own studded tongue in imitation of it.

"There you go," the clerk answered, pushing their glasses back up their nose, "I think you'll be my last costumers for the day, gonna head home before this storm gets any worse!"

Steven thanked the clerk and they headed back out to the main concourse, noticing a few other stores had pulled down their gates early for the day. Most patrons were headed for the exits, and Cairn seemed to be of the same mind as he tried to drag Steven back toward the entrance where they'd parked. Steven thought he could hear him asking about something before Citrine's anxious shouts drowned him out.

"Dad, Dad!" Citrine called, as Morion made a beeline to the nearest planter seat. Steven scooped up Cairn and headed back to where Morion had emptied mor pockets and was in the process of removing a boot. Coins and folded bills littered the concrete as Morion transferred the sizeable amount of cash into the purse, then zipped it back up. Finished, Morion held out mor arms to be picked up by Steven.

"If _you_ had all that money why did _I_ pay for the bag?" Steven laughed. Morion patted him on the cheek lovingly, a bit placatingly, and smiled.

They were passing a jewelry store when Morion and Steven froze, causing Citrine to bump into Steven's backside as Cairn leaped out of the way.

"What is that?" Cairn asked, confused, looking around, "...who...?"

"Wus whut?" Citrine asked him, as Cairn honed in the same energy had caught Steven's attention. Resonating steadily from one of the displays in the fancy store was the tired, fractured pulse of a broken being. The familiarity of the tone suggested it was a silican, likely born from a kindergarten on Earth, but ultimately shattered in the war. It was impossible to tell if the fallen soldier had fought for his mother or against her, but Steven got the impression that the Gem had stopped caring about such matters, even long before its demise.

"Gem?" came Morion's worried whisper, surprising all of them.

"No, no Kiddo, It's… just a shard, I think, It won't hurt you." Steven relayed, focusing on the green speckled stone in a display case, "It's not upset, just…"

"Sleepy?" Morion asked, all trace of fear washed away with the simple realization.

"Yeah, sleepy," Steven glanced around, spotting the ball pit where he'd left Tilde earlier that day. "Citrine… Cairn, watch Mori. Can you play in the ball pit for a few minutes?" Steven pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as he set Morion down, "I've got to talk to someone about a Moss Agate necklace…"


	6. Cohesion (Cootles of Fun: Part 3)

**Cootles of Fun**

**Part 3, Cohesion**

_Universes stick together._

_(Immediately following Commotion)_

* * *

Cairn sat on the curb of the pit, his leg shaking anxiously as he crossed and uncrossed his arms, leaning back on them, shifting, and readjusting himself again.

"You gotta go to the bathroom?" Citrine asked as she and Morion rolled around in the ball pit.

"No," Cairn pouted, "I want dad to hurry so we can go buy _the scarf_ before everything closes."

"Why don't you just go?" Citrine suggested, raking in armfuls of the balls and then watching them cascade down around her, "You brought your birthday money, right?"

Cairn patted his pocket, "Of course I did, but I can't leave _here_. Dad said we have to watch Morion!"

They turned and looked back toward the shop where Steven stood talking to the jewelry salesman, asking about the origins of the shard in the necklace.

Scowling at the implication, Morion crawled out of the pit and planted one hand on a hip and gestured toward the mall entrance with the other. Ri caught Citrine's eye and she smiled.

"Hey! We can do that, _and_ go get a scarf," She nudged him as she climbed over the curb to stand next to her youngest sibling.

Cairn's eyes darted between them and their dad, still unsure. Steven snapped pictures with his phone for the database as the salesman tried to interest him in more expensive options. If the Gems were lucky they'd be able to track down the rest of the weary agate before something agitated it.

When the shoe store adjacent to the jewelry shop locked their own glass doors and flicked off the display lights, Cairn quickly swiveled around to join them. "Not _a_ scarf," Cairn reiterated as he wiped his hands on his pants and tucked a misplaced lock of hair back behind his ear, "The Scarf."

They made their way back to the shop near the door where they'd parked, where The Scarf was on display, but sometime between when they had entered the mall and now, the store had closed.

Cairn leaned his reddened face against the cool glass separating him from the scarfed mannequin, lit now only by the general lights of the concourse, as the interior of the store sat dark, empty, and quiet. "It's not fair, both of you got to buy what you wanted! I _loved _that scarf, and we'll _never _be back before they change to the spring line!"

"I bet I could punch through this glass!" Citrine offered, knocking on the side wall of the entry alcove of the shop.

"You would set off the alarms," Cairn blubbered, and Citrine moved away to pat him gently on the back.

Morion looked up at the ceiling tiles above the lowered security gate, small fingers easily fitting around the metal links that made up the roll-down barrier that separated the closed shop from the rest of the mall.

"Come on, let's go find Dad. I don't want to be _here _anymore." Cairn headed away, and Citrine followed, her arm slung around him. They went a few yards before realizing Morion hadn't moved.

"C'mon Mori," Citrine called, frowning when Morion stayed up and shook mor head, dark curls bobbing erratically.

"Coo't'l" Morion murmured, turning to them with a calculating smirk.

Citrine pulled back her arm to clap excitedly, turning to Cairn expectantly, "Yeah! Cootle can get it! I know it!"

When Connie's words earlier that day had made "Cootle" sound like a childish play thing solely at Citrine's beck and call, Cairn had bristled at the thought of their return, deciding then that they'd seen the last of "Citrine's imaginary friend."

But with eyes bright at the thought of getting that scarf, Cairn nodded eagerly enough at Morion's suggestion.

Citrine watched their special handshake, which seemed to fall in sync with the canned marimba cover of a popular song that poured from the speakers around the mostly empty mall. The series of mirrored moves and claps, accented with quick twirls and spins that would have landed Citrine firmly on her butt if she tried to keep up, passed in a blur before her.

_clap clap, pat pat, light hand, dark hand, light dark, fist bumps and a little slide_...

Smiles wide, they leaned away from each other, hands grasped between them before pulling in quickly to what would have been a bear hug- if the matching rays of light hadn't enveloped their bodies and bled together into a single solitary form...

Citrine caught them before they could hit the floor, spare pieces of their outfits jangling down around them. Morion's winter boots and the frog purse, Cairn's shoes and earmuffs, all tumbled down next to where she had landed on the floor under the barefooted larger child. Their toes were nearly as long the digits poking out of fingerless gloves on their hands, and they wore a long, dark muted plum sweater over tight black pants. Their long banded ponytail twitched twice before they sprung up onto flexing prehensile toes.

"Cootle!" Citrine greeted joyously. They stood a few heads taller than her, appearing like a solidly built ten year old compared to her short and stocky eight.

They smiled and shook their head lovingly at the misnomer. _It's Coontail, not Cootle_, but the nickname was soft even when spoken excitedly by Citrine, and the shortening made it positively secretive and they found it fitting and ultimately quite to their liking.

A quick peek around the sides of the alcove revealed the coast was still clear, and with a signal for quiet - not always (or ever) Cit's strong point - they scurried up the metal gate and pushed the lay-in ceiling tile aside. A quick flip and they were in the ceiling over the glass display, popping up the opposite tile and slinked around the beam that held up the daytime enclosure for the metal gate. Citrine admired their skill from below. They possessed an efficient deftness in their movements that was unachievable by either Cairn or Morion, every action was precise and sure with no wasted energy on superfluous antics.

They moved without making a sound, blending into the darkness around them. Down the interior of the gate and straight to the rack at the back of the shop with the scarves. They were easily able to pick out the right pattern and color even in the unlit store. Their height allowed them to reach the hook where the scarf hung without having to pull or yank on it, much to their satisfaction, and since this wasn't the display model, nobody would even notice it was gone.

They were rubbing the soft material between their fingers, on their way back to the entrance when an internal jolt stopped Coontail in their tracks.

_They couldn't come apart _now_, they were on the wrong side of the gate! _They grabbed desperately at their form, as if they could physically hold themselves together, disturbed as component voices bubbled, unbidden, out of their mouth.

"Hurry!" Cairn cried.

"_No_." Morion stomped Coontail's foot, getting Citrine's attention.

"What's wrong?" She whispered loudly toward the floating pair of glowing eyes in the darkness. Noting their panic, she cooed at them softly, "Hey, hey. It's okay, it's okay…"

The steady rhythm in her words settled them, Cairn pausing to decipher Morion's wordless insistence, for which Cairn was immediately thankful.

"Ah," Coontail shook their head, striped ponytail and tufted sideburns swaying gently. They padded quietly to the register, checking the tag on the scarf for its price. Cairn had almost enough birthday money to cover it, but Morion didn't mind paying for the rest. Everything Cairn bought eventually ended up Morion's anyway, and ri really liked how the scarf felt. They patted at their hips, where Cairn's money was kept, pulling up the hem of their sweater to feel for the pocket's opening only to find that the pants they wore had no pockets at all.

"WHY?!" They cried out, utterly dismayed.

The unexpected outburst sent Citrine into fits of giggles. "Your face, you shoulda seen your face!" she laughed as they marched over to her, "Wha-haha, what happened?"

They planted one hand on their hip and angrily rubbed the fingers of their other hand together.

"Oh yeah, here ya go!" She reached over and pulled Morion's frog purse out of mor boot and went to hand it through it the gate. The purse, being multiple times bigger than the gaps between the links, clanged against it loudly as the the loose coins inside jangled. As the note rang out loud and clear, they all froze, expecting alarms and SWAT teams bearing down on them at any second. When nothing happened, Citrine tried again and again, banging the rubber frog head against the metal as Coontail waved their hands urgently in an effort to get her to stop.

"Shhh!" They cried when gestures weren't enough, "Just open it!"

"Oh!" Citrine chuckled, pulling out Cairn's pristine bills and Morion's coins and jamming them through the rungs of the gate until Coontail, exasperated, motioned that they had enough. They gathered the coins that had fallen to the floor and the now-crumpled collection of bills and deposited the whole payment like an offering in the center of the counter next to the credit-card scanner.

They wrapped their new scarf around their neck and scurried back up the gate and into the ceiling. It was harder to get the tile to fall back into place than expected, and they were terrified at the thought of it falling through the gap and breaking into pieces on the ground below. The struggle though, ended up being a lifesafer.

"Can I help you?"

Citrine spun around frantically to face the young woman from before. Citrine's eyes shot to Tilde's unbroken hand, now wrapped around a coffee cup emblazoned with the long-haired, blue gem-cradling mascot of the Moondollars located in the food court.

"Uhm no…"

Tilde frowned, "Well we're closed-"

And Citrine suddenly realized she was dressed in the same uniform that the clerk who had chased Cairn out the store earlier had been wearing. The back of Citrine's neck burned as she resisted the urge to look up into the open ceiling tile, she had to get them away from Cootle. "Oh, I mean… yes! Will you help me find my Dad?!"  
Tilde raised an eyebrow as Citrine clasped a stronger than expected hand around her arm and tried to tug her away from the store's alcove.

It was Tilde's turn to waffle as she warily eyed the mall entrance where her ride was supposed to pick her up. But she had been the one to ask, hadn't she? The sudden memory of Steven, the stranger who had kindly helped her when she'd slipped coming in from break, made up her mind. "...Yeah, sure. He can't be far, most of the stores are closing early for the snow." She pulled out her phone and texted an explanation to her ride.

With Tilde distracted, Citrine glanced up to see Cootle in the ceiling, motioning for her to get the clerk to leave.

"I think he went this way!" Citrine grabbed her arm and led her down the hall, striking up a conversation to keep the clerk's attention on her.

Coontail waited until they couldn't hear Citrine anymore before peeking out of the ceiling and making sure the coast was clear… now which way did she go?

* * *

"Citrine! There you are!"

"Dad!"

"Oh, _Steven's_ your dad?"

"Thanks Tilde, any chance you saw the other two?" Steven asked hopefully.

Tilde stared at him, flustered, suddenly feeling as if she'd failed him somehow, though Steven didn't give it a second thought as he turned to his eldest child.

"Citrine, where are Cairn and Morion?"

_Why was everyone always asking her these confusing questions?_ "Uh, well… they're… I'm not sure..." Were they _inside _of Cootle? Did they stop existing all together when Cootle was here, or did they go somewhere else that was sorta inside but sorta outside, like Lion's mane? She shuffled anxiously, avoiding his gaze. She'd like to know how it all worked, how Cootle and Vonny and apparently Gemma Garnet felt when they weren't themselves, but their answers had all been vague and confusing, when they decided to answer at all. The gist of it had been y_ou'll understand when it happens to you. _Citrine sighed, "They're... mushed up."

"What's wrong with them?" Tilde asked worriedly, mishearing her words as _messed up._

"Nothin!" Citrine shouted defensively, "Cootle's my friend!"

Following the agitated gem resonance, Coontail easily located Citrine and Steven. They walked up with Cairn and Morion's discarded items, hesitant to join them with the stranger nearby. They were about to slide into the shadows when Steven senses them. The flinch in his shield arm went unnoticed by Citrine and the stranger, but Cootle worried if they're perceived as a threat. Awkwardly sticking out their gem-studded tongue, they twitch the boots and shoes in their hands, and watch as recognition and then a range of other emotions wash over their father's face.

The banded Gem is new, yet familiar, but more so than even the other Kindergarten Quartzes. Steven had never seen a Quartz like this, and yet, Connie's big brown eyes stared up at him, and he knew.

"Coo… Coontail Quartz… Cootle…"

They nodded, and Steven let out an excited bark of joy, dropping the bags in his hands and rushing to wrap them up in a hug. They had a second to register the novel feeling before the tightness of the embrace became unbearable for part of them and they slipped apart. Cairn wriggled to the ground as the light of their fusion faded while Morion stayed in Steven's arms,

"You can _fuse! _And you looked great! I'm so proud of you both, how long have you been able to?!" Incredulous smile wide, Steven adjusted Morion in his arms and finally noticed the scarf strung between them, "And where did you get a scarf?"

So much had just happened that Tilde didn't understand that the clerk latched onto the first familiar thing that she did know. "That's from our store," Tilde supplied as the three kids tensed up, "but we're closed, how did you…"

"It's mine," Cairn insisted, tugging the scarf out of Steven's arms.

"Hey, it still has a tag!" Tilde pointed, suddenly reminded of how shady Citrine had been acting at the storefront.

Steven frowned at the three sulking kids before assuring Tilde that they'd pay for the scarf. Their frantic gesturing went unheeded as the group headed back to the store. Tilde unlocked the gate and helped Steven slide it back up before heading to the register, only to find the pile of money.

"But… how did…?" She stared at her key and the gate and the kids, wondering if she hadn't fallen and hit her head earlier instead of her wrist.

"Told you." Cairn flung the end of the scarf over his neck before turning to glare at them. Morion picked up the end that trailed on floor, as the scarf was intended for someone much taller than Cairn. Cairn flung it over his shoulder twice more before Morion was satisfied.

_Officially _completing the sale and apologizing profusely, Steven ushered his kids out of the store and straight back out to the van.

They erupted into nervous laughter and excited snippets about various events of their adventure as the cold van heated up. Citrine giggling, "your face your face," while pointing at Steven as Cairn leaned over the back of her seat, tickling her with the fringe of the scarf. Morion pushed against the back of the driver's seat, but Steven didn't notice, as his own laughter shook his body.

"Can we open the cherries?" Cairn asked as Steven carefully backed out of the parking space.

"No, we'll let Gregpa open them when we return the van," Steven smiled, the frog face tapping against his shoulder going ignored.

"Is dinner gonna be ready when we get home?" Citrine asked, tugging on Steven's arm. "I'm hungry!" she shouted over a low buzzing sound.

"You're always hungry!" Cairn stated, shaking his head under layers of scarf. Steven pulled out onto the main road as the slight humming sound of changed pitch into an unsettling whine and suddenly the three of them were covering their ears and looking around, worried something was wrong with the van.

"_What is it Morion_?" Steven asked worriedly, meeting mor eyes through the rear-view mirror. Morion's cheeks were red and puffed out in sheer frustration, the source of the agitated sound. Morion looked expectantly at Citrine, who stared back blankly, then to Cairn, who shrugged… Morion sighed, resigned and uttered a single word, "Bowls."

A few seconds of confused silence passed, "Bowls!" Steven shouted, remembering the whole reason they'd come here in the first place. He pulled a U-turn in the middle of the street and headed back to the mall as Citrine and Cairn roared with laughter.

* * *

**A/N: **Lots of people have asked if the kids can fuse, although this doesn't address the extent of their abilities, it does at least answer the most basic question!


	7. Cannon, Sword, Shield!

_The kids settle a disagreement in their own Universey way._

_Kids ages: 9/7/5_

* * *

"Yes! You died! My turn!"

"You just went, Cit, it's Morion's turn!"

"Uhhg, but Mori takes too long, I could try like five times before Ri gets outta the bathroom, won't even know, come on!"

"No, that's not fair. Its not mor fault you lose fast!"

"He-ey!" Citrine tried to sound insulted but couldn't keep a straight face and started laughing. It was true, she loved playing their dad's old video game but Morion was actually good at it, which meant their one-life per turn rule ended up favoring her youngest sibling.

"You died?" Morion asked upon emerging from the hallway and finding the game paused.

"Yes, your turn!" Cairn held out the controller but Ri made no move to take it. Cairn frowned from his perch on the coffee table, his leg shaking increasing in intensity, and looked back to Citrine, who had rolled over on the couch with her feet up on the shelves and her head hanging down off the cushion and resting on her thick hair.

"What's up, pup?" She asked, plopping her arms on her tummy and looking back at them upside down.

"My hands're still tired from my last turn… one of you go."

"Me!" Citrine reached out toward Cairn and flipped over, sliding herself and the cushion she was on halfway off the couch and sending old board games and nick knacks toppling off the shelf.

"May I have your turn, Morion?" Cairn asked hurriedly, dodging away from Citrine's grasp.

"Uh…" Morion picked up a seashell that Citrine had sent rolling and tossed it from one hand to the other, eyeing both siblings indecisively, "Cannon Sword Shield?"

"Okay!" They agreed, and Citrine threw the cushion back on the couch before taking a fighting stance on her side of the coffee table. Cairn set the controller down between them and paced along the opposite side. Morion smiled and plopped down on the chaise to officiate, tucking mor little slippered feet up into an oversized pajama shirt.

"Cannon Sword Shield!" Morion shouted as the older siblings smacked their fists against their palms three times before pointing at each other.

"_Sword - Sword_," Morion smiled, "try again." They repeated the chant before both holding up flattened hands and groaning, "_Shield - Shield_," Morion giggled, "don't do Cannons next!"

Cannon Sword Shield, _smack smack smack, _Cairn held up his flat hand again, Morion pointed up at Citrine, who held her hand with two fingers pointing and two curled back touching her thumb.

"Draw!" Morion laughed, as Citrine pushed Ri's finger away.

"You're not playing, it's not a draw- _I win_!"

"No fair, Citrine, Ri said no Cannons!"

"So? Don't mean you hafta listen!" She smiled and reached for the controller.

"Two out of Three!?" Cairn pleaded as the temple door to the Rose Quartz room opened and Pearl, Connie, and Steven emerged, fresh from a training session.

"Two outta three whats?" Steven asked as he headed to the fridge.

"Cannon Sword Shield! I won, so Cairn wants to change the rules."

"You're supposed to say how many rounds before you start," Connie rested a comforting hand on Cairn's slumped shoulder.

"It was a draw, I knew she'd do Cannon so I played Sword, and Cairn did Shield."

"Mori, you weren't even playing-"

"But Rion said _no cannons_ and then she played one anyway."

"You shouldn't play with swords and cannons…" Pearl lectured distractedly as she straightened up the mess Citrine had made of the shelves.

"Pearl," Steven laughed, "Its a game: Cannon beats Shield, Shield beats Sword, Sword beats Cannon."

"Daaad," Citrine whined, "don't make it sound lame! Cannon _bursts _Shield," Citrine pantomimed her finger cannon smashing through her flat hand.

"Shield _blocks _Sword," Morion continued, tapping a single pointed finger against a flat hand.

"How does a sword beat a cannon?" Pearl wondered, unpleasant memories besieging her.

"Its so fast," Cairn recites, swishing his pointed finger through the air, "it cuts off the fuse, _swish swoosh_, before the cannon can fire."

Pearl frowned, "I don't think-"

"It makes more sense than the original," Connie supplied with a shrug, "paper _covers _rock? _pssht,_" she rolled her eyes at the inanity of it.

"_Rocks_ don't need to _breathe_!" Steven ribbed Pearl as Ri and Citrine laughed at the too familiar joke.

Pearl blinked a few times, confused, "...What?"


	8. Practice Makes Progress

The kids find their strides during an eventful day of extracurriculars.

_Kids Ages: 10.5/8.5/6.5_

* * *

"You couldn't have just been in the same activities, could you?" Pearl teased lightly as she helped the kids rummage through their tangled gear in the closet under the stairs. A quick glance at the clock confirmed that Greg should be here any minute and they still weren't ready to go.

"Cairn could have been in Soccer, he can run faster than Afia!" Citrine pulled out her wrinkled blue and white jersey and waved it victoriously.

"Wow really? Why aren't you?" Pearl lifted up a boogie board and used her gem to illuminate the boy below.

"Well," Citrine pulled the jersey on over her black sports trainer, "he wasn't too good at actually kicking the ball-"

"I could kick it!" Cairn insisted, coming up with his tennis racket. Its just, everybody else was always in the way, the ball never got where it was supposed to go," he shook his head, "there was just too much going on… I... I didn't like it."

"I think it looks fun," Morion sat at the dining table, balancing Citrine's soccer ball on a head of short, springy curls.

"Are you going to start playing soon, Rion?" Connie asked from the kitchen as she slipped bottles of water and fruit slices into red and blue duffle bags.

"Nah," the ball fell down to the floor and Morion caught it with a toe before it could roll away, "I like ta watch… Is... Dad still out?"

Everyone's eyes shifted to the warp pad. Amethyst, Garnet, and Steven had left on a mission a few hours ago. Corrupted Gems were more and more infrequent, but without the full team on each mission, there was always worry about what could go wrong. However, ever since a certain incident, Connie, Steven, and the Gems took great care to make sure the kids weren't ever left unprotected. Luckily the kids had loving, involved, grandparents that were more than eager to pitch in when protecting human life got double booked with experiencing it.

"Yeah," Connie sighed, double checking her phone for any messages, "You sure you'll be okay-"

"_Mooom_," Citrine interjected, "We'll be _fine_. Besides, I love when we go with Gregpa, he always ta-" the hastily kicked ball hitting her unprotected shin made her realize she had almost revealed too much, and she struggled out a clumsy recovery, "erm… _tells… _lots of cool stories!"

Connie crossed her arms and looked from Citrine to Morion, who were both avoiding her gaze. "You go the boardwalk afterward, don't you?!"

"Uh…"

_Honk Hooonk_

"That's him, gotta go!" Citrine grabbed the ball and Morion's hand and yanked the screen door open, unhinging it (_again_).

"Wait!" Connie grabbed the bags and rushed to follow, "You didn't find your cleats and guards!"

"It's just practice!" Citrine shouted back as they raced down the stairs. She only ever wore the gear during games because the refs wouldn't let her play without the bulky pieces.

"Your bag!" Connie tossed the red duffle down, and Citrine threw the bag of supplies on over her shoulder without stopping.

"Be safe! Call if anything happens!" Citrine didn't respond to her mother, "Morion?!"

Ri turned back and nodded, "I will!"

"Have fun!" She leaned out over the rail to watch them as they waved back at her, the sea breeze catching her unbound hair and whipping it around her. She had kept it fairly short when the kids were younger, but it was starting to grow out again. She felt Cairn brush up beside her. She looked down to see him, eyes closed with a relaxed smile as his own long locks were swept up in the wind. A scraping sound startled both of them and they turned to see Pearl, struggling to lock the broken door.

"We'll fix it when we get back," Connie put a calming hand Pearl's shoulder, "If we don't leave now, Bullion and Buck will end up getting there before us."

"Bullion is obnoxious," Cairn said from behind her as he spun in a tight circle, racket volleying an imaginary tennis ball out into the sea.

"Cairn!" Connie scolded and adjusted the bag on her shoulder as she led them down the stairs.

"What? That's what Pearl said-"

Connie shot a reprimanding look to the abashed Gem warrior as Lion joined them.

"Oh! I- well I, uhm, what I meant was…"

"Cairn," Connie interrupted, sparing her friend and mentor, _after all, they weren't wrong._ "How about a more polite word?"

"Oh, uh," he spun the racket around in his hand as he thought, "well, _precocious _might work-"

"Its better-" Connie lifted him onto the kneeling pink feline's back before she and Pearl joined him.

"-but that's what you call _children_." Cairn continued, "Bullion is _thirteen _now. She mentioned it… copious times last week."

With a roar and a quick leap they were at the gym. Bullion stood by the entrance, seemingly anticipating their imminent arrival, or more likely, had been standing posed in the spot for some amount of time. "Earnest." Her white tennis skirt and seafoam polo were unmistakingly familiar. "Diligent?" A blue duffle bag balanced on her shoulder and her hair was pulled back in a high pony and strung through a visor identical to the one Connie had left on the kitchen counter. "Studious." Eyeing Connie's feet as she lifted him off Lion, _yup, those matched, too, _Cairn continued with a smirk, "_Ass_iduous."

"Oh-ho-kay, and you were calling _her _precocious?"

Laughing, he raced off to their booked courts as Bullion did her best to keep up with him without looking like she was trying to.

* * *

"Go Cit, Go!" Morion cheered as Citrine and her teammates dribbled soccer balls from one end of the field to the other. Far ahead of the others was Afia, her braids slapping against her back as she ran sounding like a round of applause. Citrine and Sal were behind a few of the older kids, towards the middle of the pack. With a flick of her head, Citrine tossed her loose curls over her shoulder and waved as she passed Morion and Greg on the sidelines. With a burst of energy she pulled ahead of a few of the older kids, Sal right behind her.

His freckled skin and ginger faux-hawk were a common sight around the beach house, as he lived in one of the newer houses at the base of the hill behind the temple. Their families were close, and Morion especially liked Sal's mother, though she wasn't here today to cheer him on.

"Yeah Sal! Way to hustle!"

Kurrat and Thema, Afia's sister, trailed along behind the others, their speed an apparent disregard of the fact that this was supposed to be a speed drill, "Aw, come on Thema! I know you're faster than that!"

With a dazzling smile and a charming tilt of her head she answered, "You know it! But the longer we take to get down there, the longer Afia's got to wait before she can race off again!" With an incredulous shake of the head, Morion giggled at the sisters' deception. Thema and Afia were in all the same clubs and activities, but whatever event one shined in, the other deliberately made sure to underperform. Apparently, it was their form of sisterly peacekeeping. Morion could understand where they were coming from.

* * *

"What are they _doing_?"

Cairn looked up from the sea of tennis balls, his hopper quickly dropping down to gobble up another one as he looked to see what Bullion was talking about now, her own hopper notably empty. Connie and Pearl stood off to the side between the two tennis courts used for their lessons. Connie held her tennis racket out in front of her, brows furrowed as she spoke to Pearl in hushed tones. Pearl looked on, a slight frown indicating her confusion as she replied. Connie shook her head, and readjusted her stance before bobbing the racket like she did during lesson to signal them to serve. Pearl sighed and sent out a projected image from her gem, a vaguely hand-shaped hologram rushed toward Connie, and she batted it away with the bottom edge of the racket, shaking her head in frustration. Transfixed by the way they moved, Cairn missed Bullion's fearful recoil.

"Overhead deathstrike," Cairn stated simply, moving forward to retrieve another ball and put himself between Bullion and the view of his mother and gemma.

"That's not a tennis move," Bullion scoffed, moving up next to him bravely and making a show of popping up two balls at once. Cairn rolled his eyes. _Of course its not, you don't hit the ball with the side of the racket. _Popping up a few more balls, he wondered if he could get away with saying it outloud or if he was within earshot of his mom.

"What was with that freaky hand thing?"

Smashing his hopper down on another ball, he turned back to glare at the older girl, "It's not freaky. Its a hard-light construct used to train against-"

"Uh," she shivered, "I would _not _want to train that way. Why is she holding the racket so wrong?"

_She wouldn't want to train that way? _Concealing a smirk, Cairn clanked his full hopper against her mostly empty one. Getting her attention, he motioned to the remaining balls on the far side of the court, "They're just practicing what to do to pupils who don't pitch in with cleanup."

She rolled her eyes but moved away to quickly finish filling her hopper nonetheless.

Bouncing over to his mother and Pearl, Cairn caught the tail end of their conversation. "-help if we had a Holo-Pearl, so I could show you..." "We can head to the Sky Arena later if it's really bothering you-"

"Can I come!?"

"Oh! Cairn! Did you fin-"

"Yup!" He held up his full hopper for his mother's inspection, earning a proud smile, "Can I go with you? To the Sky Arena?" He looked from Connie to Pearl and back. Pearl looked like Amethyst had just admitted she was right about something, but his mother was just blinking at him. Pearl put her hand on Cairn's shoulder, but when he turned back to look at her, she was looking at Connie with a tear in her eye. Unsure what he had said to upset them, he rushed onward, "I could practice… I could train with you!"

"You-" Connie paused to glance around, waving as the two kids on the right court left with their parents, leaving only Bullion filling her hopper at the far end of the left court nearby, "you want to train… with a sword?"

Not having even thought that far ahead, the idea suddenly took root.

Chills passed over his skin as visions of himself on swashbuckling adventures came to life behind his sparkling eyes. "Yeeesss," he breathed out in an awed whisper, a million miles away, "It'll be awesome."

Connie chuckled and tucked a stray curl of hair behind her son's ear, "Well okay then," she said with a smile.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Pearl enthused, "At such an early stage of development, cultivating your responses and muscle-"

"Mrs. Universe?" Connie and Cairn turned to see Bullion, her full hopper in one hand and racket in the other. "My dad said I could stay and work with you on my serve again."

Stifling a frustrated groan, Cairn noticed Mr. Dewey leaning against the court entrance, looking on as he absently turned a spare racket over in his hands. They'd end up being here all day while Bullion pretended to forget moves, or Pearl would take him to the soccer fields so they could watch Citrine and her friends chase each other in circles.

"Sorry Bullion, we can't stay late this time," Connie answered politely. Cairn's eyes turned to stars as he focused on his mother, not even thinking to glance at the other girl's dejected face. "But I have an idea for what could help," Connie waved Buck over, and he instantly started toward them.

"Wh- what?" Bullion stuttered, baffled.

"You should ask your father if he can help you."

"My- but- he doesn't know anything about tennis-"

"_You_ know what you need to do," Connie laid her hand on the girl's shoulder, silencing her, "you just need to practice doing it. What do you say, Buck?"

Buck's mouth curled up to form a small sincere smile, "Practice makes perfect, right?"

"Practice makes _progress_," Bullion repeated the phrase she'd heard Connie tell them in class, "because you can practice forever and still not be perfect," she explained as they walked out to the court, "but you'll never stop getting better." Connie wrapped her arm around Cairn's shoulders and smiled when Buck turned back to nod his thanks, absently bouncing a stray tennis ball on his racket as he listened to Bullion explaining the basics.

* * *

"Woohoo! Citrine!" Morion jumped up and down on the lawn chair behind Greg.

"Be careful kiddo!" Greg reached out to steady Morion's legs with a hearty laugh.

"Left! Left!" Morion shouted, as the defender broke free and Citrine darted to the left, the abrupt move leaving Thema in the dirt, staring daggers at Citrine's sideline intelligence personnel, "Morion! We're on the same team!"

Blushing, Morion plopped back down on the chair, "Sorry Thema!"

Standing up and brushing her hands on her shorts as she walked over, the eleven year old laughed out a puff of air and ruffled the exuberant youngster's hair. Morion was like the whole team's little sibling, had been since Citrine had joined two years ago. Now Ri was their loudest supporter, but back then, Morion had barely said a single word, just sat and stared out at them from the lap of one of the family's _many _grown-ups while Cairn ran circles around them all on the sidelines.

If Thema had half that kid's speed she might be able to keep up with his sister _and _her own. Thema's eyes darted to her twin. Outnumbered, Afia was now desperately trying to out maneuver Citrine and Sal.

She could hear Morion muttering suggestions to them quietly, and she knelt down to hear better. Maybe she could pick up a few tricks.

"...the other way, Sal, there, no- Wait- _HSSS_"

They both recoiled at the sound of the sickening crack of the two kids colliding.

* * *

"Safety first," Connie shook out the old protective jacket and helped Cairn into it. It fell to his knees and his hands didn't even stick out the arms. "Its a little big…" She admitted, buckling the bottom strap that draped between his legs.

"It smells disgusting," he smirked, too excited by the atmosphere of the floating ruins to properly protest the disgraceful garment.

Connie chuckled and ruffled his hair, "We'll take it home and wash it when we're done, okay?"

Pearl's holographic introductory video featuring tiny versions of his parents had sent him close to hysterics, but hearing his mother and Pearl sing about stance and balance had him ready to trade in his racket for a khanda, though apparently they had other ideas.

"We'll start with this," Pearl presented him with a needle-like length of steel while his mother went to retrieve the mesh wire helmet that would complete his awkward attire.

Connie was on her way back to them when the artificial tone of a tambourine jangle caused her to change her course to their pile of gear sitting at the bottom of the stone stands. When the jangle of the sat-phone was cut short and immediately repeated, the helmet dropped from her arms with disquieting clang as she dove for the phone.

* * *

"Mother!"

"Connie!" Dr. Maheswaran lowered her tablet and looked around, "No Steven?" The silver haired grandmother ran her practice very professionally, but would have been happier to see her daughter and in-laws under better circumstances. As it were, she had hoped that Steven would be with them. She noted Cairn holding Pearl's hand a few steps behind Connie, draped in some sort of white jacket, bouncing on his toes nervously as Pearl pressed a shakey fist to her lips.

"Still out," Connie answered frantically, "I left him a message telling him to meet us here ASAP," she shook her head to desperately change the subject, "Is she okay!?"

"Who… Citrine?"

"We got Morion's message and headed straight here!" Connie turned to see Morion on the other side of the clinic's waiting room, playing a video game on Citrine's phone, gem-studded tongue sticking out in concentration. A visibly exhausted Greg was slumped down in the adjacent chair, emitting intermittent snores.

"Citrine's fine," Dr. M. soothed with a long-practiced bedside manner, "another child was injured when they collided with her, I can't say-"

"Sal ran into Citrine and broke his arm!" Morion called from across the room, relieving their grandmother from breaking various privacy laws.

Dr. M. snapped her mouth closed and took a deep breath before continuing, "I of course can't confirm or deny that… but, Citrine has refused to leave the side of the other patient-"

"She's stronger than the orderlies!" Morion cheered, dark eyes not moving away from the handheld screen.

"Sal!" A middle aged woman rushed up to the doctor, blonde hair flying about her scarred face. She gave a distracted nod to Connie before grabbing at the doctor's hand.

"Ah, yes, right this way," Dr. M. led her down the hallway, and after waiting a few polite paces, Connie followed after them.

"-and the x-rays indicate a Galeazzi fracture that we'll need to keep immobile for approximately six weeks-"

Dr. M's explanation of the severity of Sal's injury was abruptly cut off when they reached the exam room's open door.

"So… which arm is broken?" Sal's mother asked.

Citrine's laughing face was smooshed against one of Sal's outstretched hands, his other was pushing off against the exam table, where Citrine was reaching behind him toward a ball of the torn examination table paper wrapper crumpled up with Citrine's discarded jersey. His triumphant smirk and own muffled laughter mixed with hers.

"Citrine!" Upon hearing the adults enter, they collapsed into a messy heap of seemingly uninjured limbs.

"Mom!" both of the kids shouted in unison as their mothers came into view.

"You can't be rough-housing with someone who has a broken arm!" Connie lectured Citrine, "You could make the injury a lot worse-"

"No, it's fine Mrs. Universe!" Sal held up both his hands as Citrine tumbled off of him. Sal wiggled his fingers towards the concerned parents.

"What's the big deal?" Citrine grabbed the flattened paper jersey ball and went about fluffing it back into a spherical shape, "I had a broken arm once and it wasn't that bad-"

"Well, I mean it _did_ hurt," Sal cut in, "at first…on the van... and when I was getting x-rays…"

"Citrine, what are you talking about, you've never broken your arm-"

"Yuh-huh! I fell off my bike when I was doing a trick and-"

Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall, and Steven burst into the room, clearly straight from a mission. His hair and clothes were coated in ashes, streaks of sweat beading down his face, "Who's hurt, what I'd miss?" He put a hand on Connie's tense shoulder and looked around the room, confused.

"Apparently: nobody, and: just as much as the rest of us," Connie placed one hand over his, but the other remained crossed over her body and resting on the opposite hip.

"Hey Steven?" Sal's mom greeted calmly, "Is there any chance Citrine got that whole magic healing spit thing from you?" Everyone turned to look at the squat woman, then to the young part-gem in question.

"Have you been kissing Sal?" Steven asked Citrine.

Her face flamed up, "N- no!"

"Ew gross no way!" Sal laughed as he made a sour face at the very thought.

Steven stepped up close between them, carefully examining Sal's arms.

"...Cry on him?"

"Why would I be _crying_!?"

"Let's retake the x-rays before jumping to conclusions," the doctor suggested.

Steven nodded in thought and absently picked up Citrine's jersey, moving to wipe it against his face until a whiff of its stench made him recoil. Pausing, he focused on the vaguely damp garment before looking back up at Sal, "Did you touch this?"

"Uh... yeah? Citrine wanted to practice her juggling," he laughed and ribbed her, "and boy does she need it!"

"Its not my fault! Paper-shirt balls don't bounce very well..."

"It fell on your arm?"

Sal nodded with a good humoured smile as Citrine blushed, embarrassed.

"Citrine," Steven smiled proudly and draped the jersey around her shoulders, "I think you have healing sweat!"

Dr. M's eyes contracted into tiny incredulous pinpoints, "That's it, I'm retiring."

* * *

**A/N:**

Citrine's healing power has been in effect before now, but this is where she and the rest of the family first realize it. A bit less accessible than spit maybe, but quite useful for her active, head-first approach to things.

And If you were wondering exactly what part of _Do it for Her/Him_ I envisioned Connie and Pearl singing for Cairn, here are the slightly altered lyrics I was thinking of, but couldn't figure out how to include: "Keep your - stance wide. Keep your body lowered. As you're moving forward, balance is the key! Right foot - left foot. Now a little faster, and as you're moving backwards, keep your arm steady!" Basically just the basic stance part, removing all the worrisome verses about sacrificing your self-worth, and made it a bit more encouraging than demanding.

Also, used this chapter as an introduction to some of the kids that populate Beach City 25 years post-canon, as they make various appearances throughout the series. You can probably guess who most of them are based on their names alone.


	9. Room to Grow

_Cairn and Morion get inspired to search for a place to call their own... but things never seem to turn out as planned._

_Kids ages: 11/9/7_

* * *

Cairngorm closed the cover of the book with a satisfied sigh and flopped over in bed, clutching the tome to his chest. Beyond the glow of his reading light, the bedroom he shared with his younger sibling was faintly lit by the predawn sunlight trickling in through the window. He knew he should wait at least another half hour or so before leaving his room, but he was full of bottled excitement.

"Mor!" he whispered. No effect. He called again, louder, rousing his younger sibling.

"Wha?" Morion rolled over, hair a curly tangled mess.

"You awake?"

"Nooooo," Morion groaned and turned back over, too used to Cairn's early morning wake up calls.

Cairn rolled his eyes and started tapping out a rhythm on the cover of the book, anything to pass the time. Squirming to the beat in his head, he quickly lost himself and started whistling the chorus, "_oooo, o-o-o, oo-oomf!" _Morion's pillow smacked him in the face brought and quickly brought Cairn back to earth. Abashed, Cairn flicked off the reading light and quietly slipped out of bed, padding down the hall to the bathroom, peeking into the living room to check if anybody else was out yet. All was quiet, even the Gems were still in their rooms.

He brushed his teeth, took a shower, and fixed his hair three different ways before settling on a look he liked. Rushing back to his room, he clicked on the closet light and shut himself into the packed side room. Grabbing various pieces he assembled and tried on multiple outfits, checking himself out in the mirror on the back of the door, imagining himself shipwrecked on a tropical island and exploring an exotic jungle. He heard the bedroom door open from the hallway.

"Morion, time to get up, kiddo."

"Mkay, mom."

A few minutes later Morion opened the closet door with a yawn, and reached around Cairn, grabbing Morion's favorite pair of old, faded jeans.

While his sibling was pulling on the pants, Cairn picked out a shirt and held it out to Morion. Morion looked at it warily and rubbed the sleep from one eye,"That's _your's_."

"I know, but you can be the pirate-"

"Pirate?" Morion turned the shirt over, revealing the skull emblem on the front, "Uh… thanks… but… I'm… more a star person than a dead…person... head person." Morion handed the shirt back to Cairn and started rummaging through the clothes littering the floor.

"It, it has as star!" Cairn insisted, sticking his hand into the shirt and holding it behind a vaguely star-shaped hole, "See!?"

But Morion was pulling on one of the many faded star shirts that could be found in any of the closets of the house, "What are you even doing with a holey shirt?"

"Well it's not like _I_ was going to wear it," Cairn mumbled as Morion headed back out to their bedroom to pull on a pair of hand-me-down yellow rain boots.

Morion headed to the bathroom and Cairn bounded into the living room, happy to see his father cooking breakfast in the kitchen, "That smells great!"

"Cairn! Thanks, its almost ready, can you go make sure Citrine is up?"

Cairn's thin shoulders slumped as he glanced out the window, "But dad…"

"Your mom's getting ready for a big meeting today, and I haven't seen the Gems," Steven flipped over the sizzling bacon, "the sun's almost up, you _should _be fine," Steven laughed. "Ah, here," he flipped a finished strip out of the frying pan and tossed it toward Cairn, who caught it in a bubble with a smile.

Holding the bubble aloft in one hand, Cairn opened the door to his older sibling's room. The curtainless windows let in sunlight from the now fully risen sun, amplified by its reflection in the ocean water. "_Citriiiine_," She lay face down in her bed, still as a rock, and Cairn poked her roughly in the shoulder before jumping back out of her reach, "_Dad's making breakfassst..." _

Cairn watched as she emerged from her hibernation, twisting her head from side to side and popping her back. Impatient, Cairn unbubbled the bacon, and blew its irresistible aroma across the room. Citrine sprang up, and stretched in the sunlight, eyes large as they focused on the bacon.

"Yeesss, gimme!"

Cairn laughed and broke it in half, jumping onto the bed next to her. He finished his bit quickly, while Citrine ate slower, still waking up. Cairn swung his legs and excitedly told his captive audience about the book he'd just finished.

"... how cool would it be if _we_ had a treehouse like they did? We could climb way up into the branches and watch the sun rise over the ocean, and the leaves would rustle like music, and we could lay in hammocks that rock you in the wind-"

"_Euh_," Citrine covered her mouth and then disguised the action as wiping away the remnants of bacon grease. "No thanks," she hopped off the bed and threw on her clothes and sandals.

"Why not!?"

"Sandcastles are way better than treehouses," she ran her fingers through her thick dark hair and headed to the kitchen, ready for more breakfast.

Cairn followed closely, "But when the tide comes in, sandcastles get destroyed! You can't play in sandcastles, and you get sand stuck… _everywhere_."

"Yeah," Citrine agreed, vaulting herself up onto one of the counter stools, "those are the best things about sandcastles!" She grabbed a handful of bacon and caught the orange that Steven tossed her way from the fridge.

After getting situated in the middle stool, Cairn uses the tongs to transfer two pieces of bacon and a pancake onto his own plate. He continued retelling the story between bites as Morion ate half of a syrup-soaked pancake and a few giant red-ripe strawberries. Steven packed the kids lunches, set aside two loaded plates, and finished off the leftovers himself. He checked his phone for the time, then headed upstairs.

"... they made the tree their home using driftwood and scavenged wood planks and pieces of shipwreck!" but Morion remained uninterested in Cairn's idea until he mentioned the animal friends from the book, and described the lush, curtain-like boughs of the Samaan tree, teeming with life. Then, Morion was hooked.

"How'd your meeting go, mom?" Cairn and Morion sat at the table that evening after school. Steven and the Gems studied a map spread out over the coffee table as Connie prepared dinner nearby. Cairn was finishing his homework and Morion was dramatically coloring a picture.

"Pretty well," Connie smiled, instantly realizing something was up, but appreciating the sentiment anyway.

"Good, good," Cairn nodded and tapped his pencil against his chin and eyed the empty spot beside him.

Taking the bait, Connie asked, "Where's Citrine?"

"She's outside building _sandcastles..."_

"Uh huh?" Connie prompted, looking between them.

"Yeah," Cairn continued, "and… sandcastles are great and all, but you know how they are, so _temporary_," he sighed, "If there was a _place_ we could always go, that wouldn't get washed away, like, oh, what's that you're drawing, Morion?"

"It is a treehouse! Here is the tree, and here is the house in it, and I drew a ring-tailed lemur, and a boa constrictor-"

"Ew, why'd you draw a _snake_?"

"You said to draw animals-"

"Yeah but like, _cute _ones,"

"Snakes _are _cute, they got little noses and wherever they go they're always dancing-"

"They can't dance," Cain scoffed, "they don't have any legs," Morion frowned then smirked, and started bobbling like dancing cactus, "_or_ any arms," Cairn continued. Arms lowered, Morion flopped like a fish out of water, falling against Cairn and sending crayons rolling off the table, "what is wrong with-_pffft" _Cairn lost it when Morion started making funny "snake" faces, and they both burst out laughing.

"Why don't you ask one of the Gems to take you out to see some animals?" Connie chuckled and looked around the room, "I'm sure it would be _very educational_."

"Ooo," Pearl perked up from her perch on on the couch, "I know some amazing places we can warp to if you're interested in studying biodiverse environs," she slid out from around the others and walked toward them, projecting holo visions of the places she most wanted to share, "there's the Tolaria Reef, the Orinoco River, the New Guinea Mangroves-"

"Mangroves!" Morion cheered excitedly, and Cairn nodded his head in eager agreement.

"Wonderful!" Pearl ushered them towards the warp, spewing facts about the south pacific island and its many ecoregions.

"Wait! Hold on, you can't go _now_," Connie interjected.

"But mom!"

"Dinner's still cooking, you haven't finished your homework, and it's a school night... New Guinea will still be there tomorrow."

Morion sighed, and Cairn looked up to Pearl, who nodded encouragingly, "of course it will!"

Cairn and Morion did enjoy the mangroves that Pearl showed them the next evening, even though Pearl quickly put a stop to them trying to construct a fort in the protected World Heritage site. This seemed to be a theme, they quickly realized after visiting a few more of Pearl's "spectacular" environs. Rainforests, wetlands, ancient woodlands, and towering redwoods…

"Pearl, these places are really cool, but… we want somewhere we can create something of our own."

"_Hmm_," Pearl contemplated, "There is… well… Steven might be able to help you out with that."

Saturday morning, Connie looked up from her book after a few hours of rare quiet in the Universe household when Steven rushed noisily out of the temple door. He plodded over to her and leaned over, hands on his knees. Connie smiled at his dramatics. "It went well then?"

"The three of them wore me out!" He sighed dramatically and then fell onto the couch, careful not to crush her, but nuzzling against her neck, tickling her with his beard.

"Steven!" She got out between laughs.

"Yup, so tired, I'm gonna sleep like a baby tonight!"

Connie gasped playfully as Steven's gem began to glow, "You better _not_!"

Suddenly her giant husband was gone and a tiny infant lay in her arms, sucking his thumb and feigning sleep. "Hmm, now I understand…" she baited teasingly. He popped one eye open, questioning, "...why the Gems kept you," she continued, "you were definitely cuter as a baby!"

"Mom?"

Connie bolted upright, sending the infant flying to the other side of the couch, blush spreading across her face. A shocked gasp sounded from behind her and she turned to see Citrine a few feet away, standing with arm out to keep her siblings behind her. Morion's hands were trying to rein back the gasp, and Cairn shifted nervously from side to side, eyes flitting from person to person.

"Uh," Connie cleared her throat and glared back at her goofball, who was chortling and blowing snot bubbles on the side of the couch.

"You can't _throw babies_, _Mom_," Morion whispered, appalled, to which Steven laughed even harder.

"Ste_ven_!" Connie implored him, and his gem began to glow again, suddenly revealing Steven.

"Dad!" The kids cheered as Citrine jumped onto him.

Morion ran to Connie and snuggled up into her arms, breathing hard.

Steven wiped his eyes, "Bored with Rose's Room already?"

"Once you left everything poofed!" Cairn crossed his arms, upset that all their hard work was gone.

There was a knock at the front door, and Greg walked in, much to the delight of the kids. He asked them how their weekend was going, and they told him about Cairn's book, and visiting exotic places with Pearl, and building crazy clubhouses with Steven in the temple.

"But as soon as he walked out of the room, everything just disappeared!"

"Haha, well," Greg rubbed the back of his neck, "that'll happen… sounds like you had fun though?"

"We did," Cairn explained as he absently circled his grandfather, "but we want a place that we can make on our own."

"That won't _poof,_" Morion added.

Greg nodded, deep in thought, "Oh hey! Steven, what about the old barn!?"

"Is that… still… standing?"

"Sure it is… I think."

Connie's arms tightened apprehensively around Morion, her chin resting on her youngest child's head.

"The kids and I can at least go check it out," Greg offered with a smile, "there's lots of cool junk out there, and all our old UUU tools!"

Steven laughed, remembering the time they'd spent building spacecraft, "Yeah, I bet they'd have a _blast_ out there." Cairn and Morion excitedly gathered their things for their next adventure, and Citrine grabbed the remote off the coffee table before going to jump back into Steven's lap.

Steven caught her mid-jump, holding her aloft, "Citrine, can you please go with them?"

"But Dad, I-"

"In case anybody gets hurt, you can heal them… I think it would make your mother feel better," they look over to Connie, who was staring toward the others, torn between concern for their safety and pride for their adventurous spirits. Citrine nodded and Steven put her down, and she hugged her mom reassuringly before joining them. Connie smiled proudly and waved as the four of them walked out the door, the house's sudden return to silence distinct. "So, looks like we have an afternoon to ourselves..."

"Perfect," Connie cooed.

"Yeah, you think so?" Steven smiled.

"Mhmm," She smirked as she picked her book back up and pretended to read, "Now you can take a nap since you're _so tired!_"

The kids spent the rest of the weekend at the barn, which was in better shape than first imagined. Greg told them stories about Steven's childhood, and learning about gem magic, and even what the Gems were like before Steven was born. Cairn was the most into actually building, setting up a clubhouse in the barn's hay loft, while Morion explored the surrounding fields. Citrine stayed near the van, singing songs with her grandpa while keeping an eye on Morion, who lost interest in the barn when it turned out not to have any animals in it at all.

Cairn was upset when Monday rolled around and they didn't have time to travel to the barn after school. Morion didn't seem to mind, hopping up on the couch to watch an old documentary with the Gems as Steven and Connie worked on something at the computer in the office loft.

"Come play on the beach with us!" Citrine offered Cairn as she ditched her shoes and backpack.

"There's no clubhouses on the beach," Cairn sighed as he placed his own bag against the bench seat. Citrine shrugged and pulled out her beach gear from the closet under the stairs before heading off to join her friends on the shore.

"There's the lighthouse." Garnet suggested.

Cairn spun towards his parents excitedly, "Ooo! Mom! Dad! Can we go!?" Steven straightened from his position leaning over the back of Connie's chair and she turned toward Cairn, confused, having missed the beginning of the conversation. "The lighthouse!" Cairn bounced fervently as he watched his parents have a quick discussion out of his earshot.

"You have an hour before dinner-"

"And you have to be careful-"

"Come on Mor!" He grabbed his younger sibling and hurried toward the door.

"Don't break anything-"

"And don't climb on the outside-" the door slammed as Cairn rushed Morion out of it.

Morion's faint "But Cairn…" swept away in the ocean breeze.

Cairn loved playing in the lighthouse. The view was amazing, and being up on the balcony was like flying through the clouds. It didn't have a hammock, or any wildlife, but he and Morion spent the next two afternoons exploring all the mysterious parts of the lighthouse, however, by the third day it was apparent to all the adults that Morion's heart just was not into it.

"What's up Ri?" Steven asked after Morion slipped into the house alone. Morion squeezed between Garnet and Pearl and into Steven's lap and yawned, earning a soft pat on the back from Pearl.

"The lighthouse is cool and all," Morion smiled politely toward Garnet, eyes drooping, "but its not like the book."

Steven laughed softly, "You have to use your imagination, like we did Rose's Room."

"Hmmm… my brain's too tired for imagination. Its just like the barn… no… life."

"Trust me kiddo, you wouldn't _want _to see the lighthouse _with _life," Steven joked, thinking back to the time it devoured two of his friends. But even Steven's jovial mood couldn't seem to penetrate Morion's funk.

"I _want… _to nap," Morion mumbled sleepily into Steven's comforting arms.

"Lighthouse not living up to its expectations?" Connie asked quietly as she walked over to them.

"No," Garnet answered, trying to conceal her disappointment.

"I've been researching types of trees that could grow here, but even if we planted something... "

"I could use phytokinesis to try and help one grow," Steven suggested, "but it _might _kinda… come alive…?"

Instantly imagining an angry whomping willow thrashing anyone who walked by, Connie quickly shot down that idea.

"Well," Steven said gazing down at the dozing child without a room of their own, "It's been ten years since our last building project, maybe we could dust off the old tools and T-square?"

That Friday, Amethyst and Lion intercepted the kids after school, packed with travel bags, camping gear, and coolers of food and drinks. "Road Trip!" She shouted excitedly as Morion barrelled into her.

"Sweet, Where to!?" Citrine hopped onto Lion and dropped her backpack into his glowing mane, scratching him fondly behind his pink ears.

"Mask Island!"

"Do we have to?" Cairn was eager to get back to the barn… _or the lighthouse… maybe both?_

"Uh, _eyah_," Amethyst playfully tossed Morion onto Lion's back and then transformed into an oxpecker and perched in his mane. Citrine pulled Cairn up by his backpack straps and they were off with a roar.

The island is one of the kids' favorite places, having spent many summer vacations and weekend family getaways there. However, this was the first time they had visited without either of their parents, and the kids were excited about the chance to spread their wings under Amethyst's watchful- but not _too _watchful- eyes. After unloading their things from Lion's mane and straightening up the shelter, they spent the next two days playfully re-discovering their island home away from home.

On the beach, Amethyst helped Citrine build intricate sand structures reminiscent of ancient gem spires. After taking a few snapshots with them, she helped Citrine with her favorite part: wrecking them Sugilite-style.

With Citrine and Morion settled in sleepily at the shelter, Amethyst flew around until she spotted Cairn at the highest spot on the island, staring up at the stars. They spent a few hours pointing out various constellations until Cairn noticed the wind changing, remarking that it felt like it would rain before the night was done.

"We should go back down to camp," Amethyst suggested. Cairn insisted that he wasn't tired, but Amethyst reminded him that Morion would need them if it stormed.

The first drops hit just as they were arriving at the shelter. In owl form, Amethyst flew ahead and held the tent flap open for Cairn. He jogged in to find Citrine passed out, alone, in her sleeping bag… Morion no where to be found. At first Cairn figured Mor just went out to use the restroom, but after a few more minutes of increasing bad weather they tried waking up Citrine, never an easy task with the sun down.

After finally shaking her at least partially awake and alerting her to the situation, the three of them couldn't come up with any reason for why Morion, known to be fearful of storms, would be out in the squall… unless something was wrong.

"Stay here!" Amethyst squawked as she shifted, "In case Ri comes back!" She turned a steely eye onto each of them until they nodded their compliance, then took flight to scour the island. She headed straight for the forest, confident the kids' recent obsession was at the root of Morion's disappearance.

She almost missed her mark, but owls are one of the best nocturnal hunters. Huddled against the rootball of a tree, Morion was half covered by a broken branch, hair a bramble-ridden mess.

"Morion!" She landed nearby, relieved that the tree's broad leaves were keeping the child mostly dry, "What are you doing out here?"

Morion sniffled, huddled in an old hoodie zipped up to the nose, "I wanted to see what it would be like, living in the tree like in Cairn's book, but I… I did something bad Ammie," Morion teared up, hair turning limp and stringy.

"You mean leaving without telling anyone where you were going!?" Morion's head shook pitifully and Ri seemed to sink into the embracing bark of the tree. "Then what-"

Morion unzipped the hoodie, revealing a small grey-ish bird whose mature feathers were patchily growing in, snuggled cozily up against Morion's pajama shirt. "I was too heavy… I broke the branch and I broke...," noticing Amethyst, the young bird startled and tried to move, revealing its broken wing.

"Oh dang," Amethyst shifted into a less predatory -and hopefully friendlier looking- stork and looked around for a nest or any of its feathered family, but either the storm had blown it far from home, or they had scared any others away.

"It's hurt, I was gonna bring it back to Cit," Morion carefully zipped up the hoodie and Amethyst saw the dirty scrape that Morion had taken in the fall as well.

"Looks like she's not the only one Cit could help, huh?" Morion looked away, trying to slow the flow of tears, but lightning flashed at that moment, the crash of thunder causing Morion to cry out. "Come on lets get back to camp," Amethyst nudged Ri gently with her long beak.

"But the storm-"

"Its not safe here in all these trees, and you'll feel better with Cairn and Citrine." Still, Morion hesitated. "And she can heal your little friend." Emboldened, Morion nodded and struggled to stand, using the roots to push up against. Perched on Morion's shoulders, Amethyst spread her wings out and wrapped them over head to act like an umbrella and blinder as she guided Morion and the bird back to safety.

"Morion!" Cairn shouted excitedly as soon as they were within view of the shelter, running out to meet them. Amethyst stopped him before he accidently exasperated either's injury, quickly relaying what happened. Cairn nodded and grasped Morion's shoulder in acknowledgement before racing ahead to prepare Citrine, standing bleary-eyed at the flap door.

Morion gently passed the fledgling to Cairn when it proved too difficult to remove a wet hoodie with an injured arm. Citrine rubbed her hands under her armpits and softly pet the little bird's hurt wing with one hand, and then with the other sweaty palm she grabbed her youngest sibling's scraped up arm. In a few moments both were healed and fell into deep, exhausted sleep. Citrine tucked in the blanket and settled down beside Morion as Amethyst secured the shelter door against the wind of the dying down storm.

"Uh, guys?" Cairn asked nervously, bringing Citrine's and Amethyst's attention to him and the bird, which had perched delightedly in his hair.

"Looks like you got yourself a new friend, Cairn!"

The warp whistle sounded early Sunday afternoon, startling the kids and their avian friend. Amethyst gleefully gathered them up, and ushered them home through the warp, then quickly out the front door and down to the sand. Garnet, Pearl, and Greg smiled as the kids rushed to hug their parents, laughing when Steven picked all four of them up and spun them around before falling to the ground in a heap of giggles. Citrine rolled off the pile to wrap her arms around Garnet's leg. Pearl helped Cairn back to his feet with an excited smile, and Morion hugged Greg while Steven and Connie greeted Amethyst.

"We have a surprise for you!" They motioned triumphantly towards the beach house.

A tower of fine wood siding and large glass windows sat atop the beach house, the windows were thrown open wide, sure to have a breathtaking view of the ocean. Green curtains with appliquéd roses clearly meant to mimic lush tree boughs in spring waved in the breeze. Murals of various animals could be seen painted on the interior, and a porthole window added playful character. A group effort that the adults were all very proud to finally reveal.

Cairn was ecstatic, "AWESOME!" he squealed, jumping up and down in a circle before racing inside, the bird flapping enthusiastically as it clung to his shoulder.

"What is that?!" Morion asked, confused.

"We built you a treehouse!"

"Nooo!" Morion shouts, foreign frustration distorting the child's face.

"Okaay- _wait whut_?" Citrine's apathy quickly shifted to shock when Morion's reaction registered.

She was not the only one. The adults looked nervously at each other, _this was not going like we thought it would,_ the shared look said. Steven kneeled down on the sand in front of Morion, "What's wrong kiddo, I thought you wanted a treehouse, like in the book?"

"That's NOT a treehouse! That's a … a… _house-_house!"

"Oh, sorry Ri, trees can't really grow on this beach..."

"And even if they could," Connie supplied soothingly, "it would take years… decades for it to be big enough for you two to play in…"

Morion looked around, taking in everyone's deflated faces. Just a minute ago they'd been beaming with pride and excitement at their surprise. Morion's lip quivered, indecisive, unsure…

Cairn shouted down through an open window of the new room, "Morion! come check it out! It has hammocks!"

"...okay…" Morion agreed dejectedly. Avoiding the uncomfortable silence, Citrine slipped off to the beach as the adults watched the youngest Universe slump back up to the house, unsure whether Ri was accepting their explanations or Cairn's invitation or both.

Pearl was the first to speak, "Amethyst… Was that a parrot?"

"Uuuuhmmm... no...?"

That night, Morion was sleeping alone in the room the two youngest siblings had always shared when Amethyst snuck in. Her gem glowing like a purple nightlight, she roused Morion with a few pats on the back.

"Ammeh?" Morion asked groggily, eyesight obscured by springy curls.

"We can't grow trees on the beach," Amethyst whispered as she searched for something on the floor, "but there's someone who could grow anything anywhere…" she found the boots and tossed them at Morion's feet, who then slowly pulled them on, "come on!"

She drug Morion to the warp pad, who'd barely had time to step onto it before she activated it, and they were gone.

They arrived at the edge of a garden that - if not completely overgrown - had definitely seen better days. The sound of crickets and sleepy night fowl filled the air, and trickling water could be heard in the distance. Numerous types of exotic plants filled the small valley, trying to reclaim it in the name of nature. Spiderwebs spanned from overgrown topiaries to untamed trees of various shapes and color, glowing eyes peered out of dens of who knew what, fat frogs croaked and sploshed their way through mud and muck, and weeds blossomed out of cracks in the stone path. There were rough gouges where intricate tile work had once been laid in breathtaking geometric patterns, heads and limbs of statuaries were eerily scattered about, and dead leaves and tumbleweeds crowded every protected corner.

"This place is safe, but nobody comes here much, at least not anymore…" Amethyst explained as she led Morion closer to the sound of the water, "we don't really need to I guess, and nobody's really got the hand for dealing with this sort of stuff, or would even want to..." she lifted a bramble out of the way, revealing Rose's fountain, the basin consisting more of decaying petal mush than healing tears, "but I was thinking, maybe you do?"

It was too much for Morion to take in a once, emotions were flowing like the fountain itself.

"Amethyst… It's... _perfect_."

* * *

_This is a long chapter, and it started out significantly longer. I'm glad I chose to highlight how Amethyst has matured slightly over the 25-30 years since the canon timeline since Reformed came out and showed us she is on that journey. Thanks to Mechafone and Bauble for helping me out again!_

_Thanks for reading! Feedback appreciated! I have a few ideas for these characters outlined, but feel free to leave suggestions! If you'd like to see my art of these characters check out their dedicated tumblr: .com !_


	10. Model Behavior

_Dress code violators... will be fine. _

_Kids' Ages: 11.5/9.5/7.5_

* * *

"I can't believe they would call us in on a dress code violation," Connie fumed, "_What_ dress code!? I've never heard anything about the school having a dress code-"

"Well _and _fighting-" Steven rubbed the back of his neck. _How do you explain to kids it's not okay to fight when that's what their whole family does everyday?_

"Citrine's clothes are perfectly suited to her lifestyle, so she likes to bare her gem, she's _eleven _for crying out loud-"

"Do you think Cairn got into it again with Bullion?"

"I hope not, we can't afford to-"

"-or maybe that _Vince _kid," Steven muttered as he held open the door for Connie to enter the school.

"Maybe Pearl was right, maybe we should look back into homeschool-"

"Morion's doing so well though," Steven took her hand in his.

Connie placed her other hand over her chest, so proud of the progress their youngest was making. She looked back into her partner's eyes, his presence was as steadying and comforting as ever. She knew they'd face this as they faced every obstacle- together.

"Mr. and Mrs. Universe!"

"Principal Case," they shook hands and were ushered into her inner office, past Citrine and Cairn, waiting solemnly on a bench outside the glass wall of the principal's office.

She picked up the folder in the center of her desk and flipped through the pages again as the parents took their seats across from her. "Look, I'll be straight with you, Mrs. and Mr. Universe, we have a very loose dress code and we encourage all the children to express themselves, within reason... but we simply can _not _allow any student to come to school in just their underwear. We're not sure if this is indicative of some troubles at home, but it just isn't fair to-"

"Underwear!?" Steven looked out the glass wall to Citrine, who choose that moment to stretch, sending her crop top rising up her tummy. He bit his lip and turned to Connie.

"I assure you, the children never leave home without being fully clothed," Connie shook her head, glad this was just a misunderstanding, "Something must have happened-"

"No no, that's what we thought too. We wouldn't have called you in about this if we weren't certain, but Cairngorm told us himself."

"Cairngorm?" Steven asked.

"Wait, _Cairn_? Cairn wouldn't…" Connie shook her head, even more baffled than before, "Cairn puts great pride and care into his appearance, why would he-"

"Oh thank goodness," Steven sighed. Connie and the principal both glared at him. "I mean," Steven fumbled, "...can we talk to him? Er, privately? For just a minute?" He smiled at the principal, who took a steadying breath before nodding and picking up the folder. She made her way out the door, and sent Cairn in a moment later before heading off to another part of the office.

"Cairn… I thought… can you explain what happened?" Connie asked, as he's fully clothed, in the same outfit she had seen him off in this morning: some tailored casual suit that looked like something her mother must have bought him.

"I.. uhm…" He glanced out the window to make sure Citrine was still the only one in the front office before snorting out a quick puff of air. Like a snuffed candle, the shirt and vest he had been wearing a second ago disappeared.

"Woah!" Steven's face lit up, "that's amazing!"

Cairn smiled proudly, and held his arms up, twisting his torso limberly, "I just feel so... free."

"How'd you figure this out?" Steven wondered.

"A few weeks ago I watched Gemma Pearl put on her training gear, and... It looked cool, I wanted to try it, too, so I just thought of how I wanted to look and…" he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and Connie and Steven watched, awestruck, as he pushed the mirage of a fawn-colored tee-shirt out through his skin.

"Its not too difficult, and I can wear whatever I want! ... but today, Janet hit me with the dodgeball at recess and it flickered out. Then Vinny laughed… and I couldn't concentrate to reactivate it," he chewed on his bottom lip, embarrassed just remembering the sound of the older kids' taunting laughter.

"Wait, are the pants… made up... too?" Connie asked, already guessing the answer.

"Yeah…" Cairn's face flamed and Steven grimaced emphatically.

"And Citrine's here because...?" Connie couldn't imagine their oldest reacting well to Cairn's plight.

Cairn smiled. "She... stood up for me," he answered graciously. Connie winced, but Steven beamed proudly, forgetting the _second _reason they'd been called in.

He pushed open the door, "Citrine-"

"What!? I healed Vinny's nose!" She shouted defensively.

"Healed it?" Steven queried, his face falling. Citrine's face reddened at the realization that she outed herself.

"After she broke it," Cairn supplied.

"Citrine!" her parents yelled in unison, causing her to scowl.

"I didn't _meeaaan_ to, I was just trying to cover his mouth because he wouldn't stop laughing…"

"Citrine… you have to learn to control yourself," Connie pleaded.

"Me?!" Citrine whined, "He's the one who-"

"You _broke_ his nose?! On _accident_?!" Citrine winced as Connie continued, "You're stronger than you think, and you need to react with your opponent's strength in mind."

"Even if they're being a jerk-face?"

"Even then," Steven agreed. "What would Garnet say?"

"Well, she didn't stop me," Citrine mumbled before realizing, "She didn't stop me from gettin' in trouble neither."

"_Citrine."_

She sighed, resigned, and gave the answer she knew they were waiting for. "Gems don't use their powers against humans," she imitated in Garnet's voice, as the principal walked back up behind her.

"And you," Steven turned to Cairn.

"Do I have to stop light-fitting?" He frowned, bottom lip trembling.

"No…" Steven's eyes shifted to Connie's.

"Steven?" Connie queried, as Steven shrugged one hand, "Okay, how about a compromise," She glanced to Principal Case, who seemed amicable to the idea, "You can ..._light-fit_ your tops, but you have to wear pants- "

"_Real_ pants," the principal iterated.

"-to school, deal?"

"Deal!"

* * *

Citrine had run out of ways to occupy herself by the end of her third and final day of suspension _and _being grounded. She missed her friends and her siblings, and the only gem-stuff she'd been allowed to do were strength control exercises with Garnet. Having her cooped up inside and miserable was becoming just as much a punishment for everyone else as it was for her. Cairn, however, felt responsible for her misery, and though he'd voiced his opinion on the unjustness of disciplining Citrine for sticking up for him, her punition stood.

When she had asked him about his light-fitting trick as soon as he and Morion got home from school, Cairn led them all up to his tower room. He made sure Aukuri, as Morion had named the bird, had food and water, while Citrine settled on her stomach on the floor where she wouldn't be able to see out of the open windows. Morion crawled into the hammock, content to watch as Cairn flicked through the digital magazines on the tablet.

"Okay, show me again!" Citrine pleaded, as Cairn's outfit shifted form. Another tannish version of the image on the screen. Not tannish, Morion realized, but _cairngorm_. The smokey brown hues of Cairn's gem were the limit of his projections.

"Here, try one of these," Cairn turns to a spread of models in summer dresses.

"I don't like those," Citrine announced after trying and failing to get each of them to form like Cairn's creations, "they're just not... _me_."

Cairn rolled his eyes, "Fine, you don't need this anyway," he pulled the tablet away from her and set it on his desk, "Just... imagine what you want then, and... force it out."

Citrine squeezed her eyes shut.

"Make sure it's yellow," Morion giggled.

"It's _goldenrod_, thank you very much," Citrine corrected with a smile.

"Are you imagining it?" Cairn asked, doubtful that she could concentrate while talking.

"Yes!" She shot back.

Actually, knowing Citrine, she probably _could _focus better when talking, Cairn figured, "...then explain it to us."

"Its got like ruffles here," she moved her hand to her shoulders, "but with bands," she wrapped her hand around her upper arm, "and it's got these pieces here," she moved her hand away from her arm to trail down her side, "like fish tails and they sparkle…"

But Ri and Cairn had stopped listening, eyes latched onto the circle of honey yellow forming like a bruise around her upper arm. As she continued, the shapes filled out, ribbons of gold at the end of tulle-like trails around her shoulders and emerging from the bottom hem of her short shirt.

"Citrine… open your eyes," Rion urged.

"Oh wow!"

"Great job," Cairn smiled.

She stood and spun, the tails of light drifting around her fluidly before dissipating softly into the air, "You try Mori!"

"Uh okay…" Morion reached out and grabbed the tablet, searching for an example. Ri settled on the purple-haired model with a wild pocket-studded jacket, the long curls on the side of their head that wasn't buzzed short were cascading down over one of the asymmetrical lapels. Ri studied the image, twitching at the thought of getting all that hair stuck in any of the jacket's numerous zippers…

Morion took a deep breath, eyes squeezed shut and…

"Wo-ha-oah!" Citrine gasped.

"Ri...Rion?" Cairn asked, dumbfounded.

Morion's eyes opened, examining bare arms and patting a zipperless chest, "It didn't work?" Ri looked up to see Citrine touching her hair, and Ri mimicked the gesture, grasping a handful of familiar black curls. Cairn slowly shook his head and lifted his opposite hand.

Ri's other hand flew up and smacked against the fuzz of a suddenly much shorter side of hair.


	11. Off on the Wrong Note

_Learning new things can be hard, but with a little help and perseverance, you'll always find a way._

_Kids Ages: 12/10/8_

* * *

"Ah!" Amethyst pulled her hair down against the sides of her face, as her and Citrine's feet found the solid ground of the Temple's warp pad, "What is that _noise_?!" The rush of the warp stream fell away, revealing the source of the ear-splitting sound.

Slapping her hands over her ears, Citrine let the warp whistle fall from her lips and dangle on it's lanyard around her neck. She looked around the living room to see her parents preparing dinner in the kitchen, and Greg and Morion both strumming away at the dining room table. Any sound they were making however, was drowned out by the familiar instrument at Cairn's lips.

"Wow, Cairn!" Citrine bounded over to where he sat at the kitchen counter, "You sound _way _better than I did!" She lowered her hands to prove her point. As a "fourth" grader, Cairn was learning how to play the recorder, a sort of musical rite of passage at school. Perched on the back of the adjacent bar stool, Aukuri happily whistled along with him. Citrine ran a finger over the bright greenish-blue crown above the bird's white feathered face mask. She adjusted her perch and flashed her golden underbelly, nuzzling Citrine's finger.

Across the counter, Steven was in the zone, bobbing to the "music" as he rolled fillets in a mix of herbs and spices, while Connie cut veggies for a salad. Connie popped a cucumber slice into her mouth and walked around the counter to lift the warp whistle up and off from around Citrine's neck.

"I uhm… gotta go… rearrange some stuff…" shouting into the din with her hands still over the sides of her head, Amethyst retreated back to the Temple door, "but, uh, good job out there today, Sunspot!"

"Thanks Amethyst!"

Connie returned and handed Citrine her backpack, lightly nudging her towards the table. Taking the bag with a sigh, Citrine snatched a slice of yellow pepper from the cutting board before heading to the dining table and plopping down next to Greg. She pulled out her school tablet and started up her math text.

Eyeing her surreptitiously, Greg chuckled softly. _Kids these days, technology has changed everything-_

"Like this?" Morion asked, small fingers stretched to recreate the chord Greg had played a few minutes ago. _Well, maybe not everything._

"You got it, kiddo. You're picking this up just as fast as your dad did."

Morion giggled, "'cause dad's already showed me lots, Gregpa!"

Ri strummed a G on the ukulele and Citrine and Cairn both stopped what they were doing to sing as Morion hummed along.

"We're cooking dinner!" Steven gestured to the fish, which confused Greg until he was able to pick up on the kids' altered lyrics to the old familiar tune.

_If you're tasty and yeast's on the rise,_

_You can count on the three of us chowin' ya down._

_Cheesey good and piled veggie meatsus-_

_We'll win the fight to take us out for pizzas!_

_Wheat, Garlic, Anchovies._

_We'll all eat pie all day._

_And if you think we can't,_

_We'll always find a way._

_That's ALL the pizzas of this world. _

_Stuff it in, eat it, every slice, don't hurl!_

_And dig in!_

Greg almost missed the end of the song, he was laughing so hard. Partly due to the inane lyrics but mostly due to the exasperated look on his son's face.

"We are _not _getting pizza," Steven repeated, as Connie broke down and let out a snort of laughter. The kids had come up with lyrics one afternoon and had kept singing the song over and over until Steven had bribed their silence (with pizza), he was still a little miffed about it. Mainly because their version was now constantly getting stuck in his head. Darn him if he wasn't proud of them for how catchy it was, though.

"Aw, dad, we just wanted Gregpa to see how good you were at teaching us music!" Citrine laughed as Steven shook his head and went back to the fish, abashed.

"How's the studying going, Citrine?" Connie asked after stifling her laughter, gently trying to keep Citrine on task.

The smile vanishing from her face, Citrine picked up the tablet and slouched down in the seat, "_Fi-ine_."

After finishing the song he and Ri had been running through, Greg turned to see Citrine, glaring at the text on her screen.

"Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction…" she mumbled under her breath a few times before clinching her eyes closed and trying to repeat them without reading.

"Parenthesis... Exponents… Minus... Addition... Subtraction… wait… multiply divide, addition subtraction. Paranthesis Multiply Dividing Add … Oh…"

Opening her eyes she read the order again, clapping her free hand on the table with each syllable. The clapping quickly lost all sense of rhythm as she stumbled over the long words.

"Guuuuh!"

"That bad huh?"

She nodded, her lip between her teeth, slipping even further down in the seat.

"You have to remember the order they go in?"

"Yeah... Why's this so hard?" She whined under her breath, keeping her worries out of ear-shot of her parents, "Is it...Is it me? I mean, mom was like, amazing good at school, right? And dad was… was… uh?" Citrine tried to remember any stories about Steven's time at school, but couldn't actually recall any, now that she thought about it.

Realizing where her thoughts were headed, Greg laughed nervously and distracted her by telling her about his own school years instead.

"School was no cake-walk for me either," he sympathized, "but I _did _have a way of remembering things…" He adjusted his guitar and looked over her shoulder at the screen. "Order of Operations" was blocked out at the top, along with the words she'd been reading earlier and their corresponding symbols. He knew he'd seen them before, or at least something similar, even if it had been a life time ago.

"Here, try this," Greg laid the tablet face down on the table and played a few notes on his guitar. At the prospect of a new song, both Cairn and Morion paused their playing to listen.

"_A song can really come in handy,_

_Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sandy._"

He finished with a guitar riff and smiled down at her.

"...oh-ho-kay? That was a... _short... _song."

"Do you remember all of it?"

Citrine sang it back in his gravelly voice, sending Morion into a fit of giggles.

Chuckling, Greg continued, "Good Job, and that's after only hearing it once! Now write down the first letter of each of the words in the second part." Citrine flipped the tablet over and tapped on the icon to pull up her notebook.

Greg played the tune again, this time accompanied by both Morion and Cairn, as Citrine scribbled with her finger, "P-E-M-D-A-S!" She smiled as they finished the tune to a round of applause by Connie and Steven, "Plus Equal Minus... Denominator And Square?"

"Perf- wait, no… that's not right," Greg frowned.

Citrine dropped her head onto the table with a loud _thud_. Steven and Connie shared a concerned look, but Greg discreetly waved them away before nudging Citrine back up and pulling the tablet to a spot between them.

"Maybe music isn't the best way to go for this one…" swiping the screen to a new sheet, he picked up the stylus and drew out the symbols in the correct order, "… Lets see, this one can be…" With a few strokes, he turned the parenthesis into a large block of hair with familiar sunglasses and a crooked smile, a gauntlet held up beside it like an exponent.

"It's Garnet!" Citrine laughed.

Greg nodded with a smile. Next he scribbled Pearl, holding two spears crossed in front of her, and beside her, a close up of Amethyst's face, shapeshifted like an abstract painting, with one eye below her straight-lined mouth. Getting into it, Citrine laughed, "Oh! the Plus can be dad!"

"How?" Greg chuckled and handed her the stylus, "Here, show me."

She drew a plus sign with a gem at the bottom of it, and a wild mane of black hair over a face at the top, "And… next would be mom…" The minus sign became the huge rose sword, held over head by a strong braided warrior.

Citrine closed her eyes as Morion played the _Sandy _song again, Ri's cabochon studded tongue sticking out in concentration, the dark gem glistening in the sunlight filtering through the window. Citrine laughed, "I don't even need to draw it, I can just see it!" She smiled wide and threw her arms around Greg in a crushing bear hug.

"What are you drawing?" Cairn asked, having left his perch at the breakfast counter to see what he was missing. He laid the recorder down next to Morion and slid the tablet across the table to get a better view. Citrine explained the drawing to Cairn, who looked on confused, "How is that easier than just remembering the words?"

"I dunno," Citrine shrugged, "but it is."

"Everyone learns things in different ways," Greg explained. "Some people can just hear things and get it," he eyed Cairn with a deliberate look, "other people learn by reading or writing them down," he nodded to Citrine, "and sometimes you just gotta do it to get it," Greg put his hand on Morion's shoulder.

Encouraged, Morion pulled off the ukulele and picked up Cairn's recorder, examining it. Morion had always been a fast learner when it came to instruments, but Ri'd never had a chance to play one you blew into. Mimicking the way Cairn's fingers had rested on the holes, Morion blew air into the plastic tube.

The harsh flat sound that erupted sounded nothing like music. Ri's face heated as everyone in the room suddenly turned to look at them.

Turning away from his bantering with Citrine, Cairn swiftly adjusted Morion's fingers and signalled Ri to try again, but the sound was worse, if anything, when played to the silent room.

After turning her head from side to side and cracking her knuckles, Citrine held out her hand. Morion quickly handed the embarrassing thing over. Citrine checked it over and tapped it a few times, as if it was a piece of defunct technology, before raising it to her own lips. The notes that flowed forth were loud and shrill, but still distinctly musical. She shrugged and handed the instrument back to Morion, who took it with hesitation.

The conversation flowed jerkily on, but Ri sat motionless and silent. The notes that Citrine had played rang in an unending rush through Morion's ears. Ri's tongue felt unsettlingly thick and heavy, and too big for mor mouth. Morion knew the problem was not with the recorder. The small round stone that so few even realized was embedded in Ri's tongue suddenly seemed a lot more invasive...

Ri eyed the warp pad… and, with a growing sense of trepidation, the hook by the front door, where the warp whistle hung on its lanyard, silently taunting.

* * *

**A/N:**

_Tongue Gems... hmm, whatcha gonna do, Rion?_

_Also, the "Wheat, Garlic, Anchovies" line has been stuck in my head all day, I feel your pain Steven._


	12. We Meet Again

_Two Bits on the Beach, Beach Summer Fun Buddies, Part and Parcel… (I had trouble choosing a name for the this chapter… so you can pick whichever one you like the best)_

_Kids Ages: 12.5/10.5/8.5_

* * *

It was the third day in a row they'd seen the two tourists on their beach. Although Beach City attracted its fair number of summer guests, there wasn't any lodging besides the Bed and Breakfast, so they typically didn't see overnighters. Especially on a Tuesday. Morion had postulated yesterday that these two didn't seem like BNB guests, but today Citrine and Cairn were convinced as well. There just wasn't all that much to see here, unless you were visiting family. The thing was, these two didn't seem to be accompanied by anyone they knew.

"Neither are we though," Morion pointed out while reaching up and adjusting one of Citrine's old swim caps. Blue water wings kept the youngest Universe afloat while the faded pink star shirt billowed out over Ri's swimwear.

"But our house is literally right there," Cairn swung one of his two pool noodles toward the beach house, just visible around the curve of the shore. The gem on his exposed chest sparkled in the sunlight just under the water's surface.

Citrine lay on her boogie board, her curls had burst out of her own pink swim cap and cascaded down over the gem on her back between her blue and yellow two piece suit. "Someone should go say hi," Citrine suggested, staring towards the lean ginger-haired teen lounging on the beach in a designer deep mulberry one-piece, while the shorter one paddled toward the lapping waves on what looked to be a brand new boogie board.

Morion and Cairn exchanged a knowing look before turning back to her.

"Ye_ah_?" Morion asked as another wave rolled past them, Citrine wasn't one to hesitate when it came to meeting new potential friends.

Citrine picked at the exposed foam on the board she'd used for as long as she could remember, "I mean, or maybe not, if they wanted to talk to us, it's not like there's anything stopping th-"

"Blaahhgg!" came a shout from behind them. There was a sudden splash and the glossy new board beamed Citrine in the head, knocking her into the water.

From her view from below, she could see Rion's legs near the green swim trunks and tanned legs of the boogie boarder, while Cairn floated a few feet away with a hand on her board. She rubbed her head, it hadn't really hurt, just startled her, and pushed off against the sandy bottom to propel herself back up to the surface, grabbing the stranger's offending board on her way.

"Are you okay?" Morion was asking, a steadying hand on the newcomer's shoulder.

"That was impressive," Cairn stated, "I've never seen anybody wipe out on waves so small."

The new arrival sputtered out a mouthful of seawater, coughs transitioning to amused laughter, "It was easier on the wave machine at camp," they admitted sheepishly as Citrine handed over their boogie board.

"You had a wave machine at a campsite?" Citrine asked, the sudden mental image of one of the large continuous stream machines roaring with the rush of pumps and water next to their peaceful campsite on Mask Island was too ludicrous for words.

"Camp... site? Oh! No, haha, a summer camp!"

The three Universes didn't react.

"You know… you've never…? Oh, a summer camp! No parents, you sleep in cabins, sing songs around a campfire, lots of other activities."

Cairn and Morion nodded, recognizing the description from old books and movies.

"Activities like what?" Citrine asked excitedly, glad they seemed eager to share and not take themself too seriously.

"Well besides the wave machine, haha, ours has swimming, nature trails, rowing, archery, horseback riding-"

"With real horses?" Morion asked, eyes lighting up.

"What other kind would it be?" Cairn frowned at Ri, confused. Citrine chuckled and rubbed her hand on Morion's swim cap, as if to tousle mor hair.

"...like the seahorse or the carousel…" Morion mumbled, cheeks aflame.

Noting Ri's embarrassment, the newcomer mercifully shifted back the conversation, "We go every year for two weeks, it's in Keystone."

"That sounds like so much fun!" Citrine jumped back on to her weathered board.

Morion was less eager, "_Two weeks_ away from your family?"

"Yeah," they admitted with a respectable amount of reserve, "and this year instead of flying back home, we're spending the rest of the summer here with our grandpa and uncle. Our dad wants us to help out with the family business."

"We know what that's like," Cairn adds cryptically. Morion just shakes mor head, eyes rolling.

"Huh? oh!" Citrine laughs, "Yeah, I guess we help out with the 'family business' too, huh, Cairn? Oh!" She spun back to the newcomer, who seemed surprised yet amused by the sudden shift, "I'm Citrine, she-her; noodle boy here is my brother, Cairn, he-his; and this our little sibling-"

"Morion, ri-mor, Rion's fine," ri finished quickly, chewing on mor bottom lip and watching nervously for any reaction.

"PJ Fryman... he... his?" PJ introduced after taking a few seconds to process the three rapid-fire introductions. He barely had time to note their pleased nods before Citrine was talking again.

"Niced to meet you! And who's that?" She gestured toward the beach.

"Ipomoea, my sister, everyone calls her Sweet-P."

"She can swim, right?" Citrine was sure she'd seen the two of them racing through the water the day before, it had been impressive, but no need for PJ to know how long the two of them had been the focus of their conversations.

"Yeah," PJ laughed, remembering how Sweet-P had plotted the course of their race right past the three of them yesterday. Turning toward the shore, he caught her attention as they were lifted to the crest of another gentle swell, and waved her over, but she shook her head no, pointing to the smartwatch on her left arm.

"Do you two have to leave soon?" Morion asked.

"Uh, no… hold on?" PJ rode the wave back to shore, and made it almost all the way without wiping out again.

The three of them stayed put, expecting her to jump up and join them as soon as PJ got within earshot.

"She's just... wiggling her fingers at him?" Morion observed.

Cairn shrugged, "maybe she just wants to be alone today?"

Citrine hoped not, it wasn't very often that Beach City got new kids their age. "Hey Sweet-P come swim with us, the water's great!" she shouted excitedly back to the shore, face falling when PJ barely spares her a glance and Sweet-P ignores her completely.

"Oh," Morion realized, "Guys-"

But Citrine dove under the water, propelling herself back to the shore and missing Ri's admonition. They raced after her, but Citrine is as fast in the water as Cairn is on land.

"_Cit_! Wait!"

"Hey Sweet-P, won't you come swim with us? There aren't any sharks or anything, our gemmas scare them all away, well, _usually_."

"Cit-"

Citrine ignored Cairn and plopped into the damp sand next to PJ and Sweet-P, instantly pushing a pile into the base for a sandcastle before continuing, "one time, they didn't, and I almost got eaten by a bull shark, but that was like, _ages _ago, I don't even remember it."

"_Ciiiit,_" Morion whispered, tugging on her arm.

A chortled laugh escaped Sweet-P's lips, but when Citrine looked up, proud of making her new friend laugh, Sweet-P was looking at something on her watch. Refusing to be more than momentarily disheartened, Citrine forged on, "but if you don't feel up for swimming there's other stuff we can do on the beach. Cairn's really good with kites," she motioned to Cairn who was absently swinging the colorful pool noodles in wide arcing figure-8s a few yards away. At the mention of his name he stopped long enough to wave awkwardly. Sweet-P smiled up at him and nodded politely. Citrine waited for either of them to say anything, but continued on when it became apparent neither would. "Or Rion can show you the tide pools, ri knows all about the things that live in them!" She nodded to Morion, who was standing behind her, one hand latched around the strap of Citrine's suit top.

"...hi?"

Sweet-P smiled, a slight twinkle in her eye before nodding sweetly.

"But _my _favorite is building sandcastles," Citrine packed more sand into a tower and etched an ornamental motif of waves into the side with her fingernail. Morion glanced from Citrine to Sweet-P to PJ and back before looking around and bending down to pick up something half buried in the sand.

"I like making arches, like this," Citrine continued as Sweet-P and PJ watched her intently. Morion knelt down and handed Citrine a seashell. "Aw thanks!" She used the shell to gently stamp a pattern into the walls.

Impressed, Sweet-P glanced at the others, who all seemed to be enthralled with Citrine's work. Even Cairn had laid down the noodles and joined them. She readjusted her position in the sand, laying with her arms out in front of her and followed Citrine's example, adding sand and patterns to the castle while glancing frequently at her watch.

Besides a few infrequent words from Morion and PJ, Citrine held up the conversation. She complimented their gear, the other girl's rings, told them about her favorite Beach City places, warned them about the new ride at Funland that had made her sick the week before… She retold the story about Sal making the winning goal for their soccer team's championship game last year, and invited them to their practice this Friday if they wanted to come. She even resorted to commenting on the weather.

Morion watched everyone carefully, quickly picking up on the silent battle of wills going on between PJ and Sweet-P as Citrine ran out of steam.

"Hey Cit," Cairn interrupted, "can you hand me that shell?"

Sweet-P reached out and hit her hand against PJ's arm a few times before pointing at the screen of her watch, shooting her brother a confused expression.

PJ leaned over and read the screen, then burst out laughing.

"What… What's funny?" Citrine asked, unsure, dropping the shell near Cairn's outstretched hand. Morion was equally confused, but Sweet-P wasn't laughing either. She looked frazzled and her bottom lip started trembling, either near tears or an angry outburst, Morion wasn't sure, before she turned to see Citrine staring at her, hurt expression painted clearly across Citrine's face.

Sweet-P's eyes widened and her own pique dissipated quickly as she took a deep breath and bounced her hands in the air twice. Citrine watched as her fingers then moved in a few fast, succinct movements.

"_Sit?_"

The vaguely electronic voice came from the direction of her watch.

"...ye...sss?" Citrine answered, not sure if it had just said her nickname or not, or… how… or why.

Sweet-P's fingers started flying again, "_That's a very unusual name, but __its nice__. I just thought your siblings kept telling you to sit down. I asked PJ to clarify, but he's being obnoxious as usual. I'm sure he's laughing at me and not you. Right PJ?"_

* * *

"So then," Citrine spoke between bites at dinner that night, "they explained how the E.A.R.S. work, its so cool! It stands for, uh… "

"Electronic Audio Relay System," Cairn supplied, punctuating each word with a flick of his knife. Connie and Steven nodded encouragingly, even though Peedee had explained the device his daughter often used years ago.

"She wears this watch like thingy," Citrine continued, "and little rings on all her fingers."

"She types out what she wants to say and it listens for her and turns everything into text she can read," Morion added.

"And Citrine gave her _lots_ to read," Cairn apprised as he cut his chicken into small bites.

Steven laughed heartily, "'guess some things never change," He smiled at Citrine, "That's the same thing you did last time you met Ipomoea."

"Wait, what!?"

"They would have been too young to remember," Connie chuckled when Steven gave her a confused look.

"Oh, yeah well," he smiled and shook his head, "I've been friends with their dad since we were your age, younger even... they came to visit when you all were little, well I don't think Morion was even born yet…" He glanced back to Connie, who nodded in affirmation, "You just sat there and babbled on and on to her for an hour or so, we told you she couldn't hear you but... you just talked louder."

Morion burst into giggles and Cairn shook his head.

"Daaad!" Citrine blushed, embarrassed.

"What? I don't think she minded, she hardly took her eyes off you."

"So Cit's not the only one who hasn't changed," Morion murmured.

* * *

A carefully restrained push against his shoulder woke Steven from his Thursday mid-afternoon nap on the couch. Though he hadn't seen much of her this week, he knew who it was before opening his eyes, and could feel the uncharacteristic emotions of unrest and uncertainty radiating off of his oldest child.

"Dad, I was wondering… do you think… you know how... you healed mom's eyes when you were younger?"

"Ah, I think I know where this is going…" he sat up and pulled her onto his lap. She slumped against the back of the couch, not really meeting his gaze, biting her bottom lip. "Remember how I said the Frymans visited when you all were little?" Citrine nodded. "Well it wasn't a purely social visit, though we were glad you all got along so well. Iris and Peedee, PJ and Ipomoea's mom and dad, they came to ask me the same question."

"It didn't work?"

"Can't heal what's not broken," he answered softly.

Citrine grimaced, not sure about his wording.

"When I healed your Gregpa's broken leg, his hair didn't grow back. When your Gemma Amethyst was healed by your Grandmother Rose's fountain, she didn't get any taller. When you healed Aukuri's wing, she didn't suddenly get her grown up feathers... When you healed Sal's broken arm... his freckles didn't go away."

"But his freckles are just part of who he... is… oh..."

"If Ipomoea's hearing had been lost in an accident, or damaged over time, like your mom's eyes were, then maybe it would be something I could heal. But as far as we could tell, it's just part of how she was made. Just as much a part of her, as your fingerprints, your eyes, and your gem are parts of you. And no amount of healing spit… or _sweat… _can change that."

"Its just… not fair," her eyes moved to the television. Dad must have muted it before he fell asleep. The characters on the screen were having a conversation, and either convulsing in pain or laughing hysterically. "Everything must be so different… no music?" She whispered. "Nobody can be like, _Hey watch out! _or _No! That's hot!"_ She imitated Amethyst and Pearl before sighing morosely, "I'm still not sure she knows what my name is… and I have healing powers…" she stared at her hands before tucking her knees under her chin, "but I can't do anything to help?"

Steven rubbed her back comfortingly, "Maybe you can find a different way to help her out…?"

Citrine was still for a few long moments, deep in thought. Her eyes shifted from the television to the tablet lying on the coffee table. "Yeah… yeah, I think I have an idea!"

She slid off Steven and grabbed the portable screen before racing down the hall, calling for Morion.

* * *

Friday afternoon, Citrine paced the empty living room in her soccer uniform, staring at her hands as she ran through everything she and Morion had learned since yesterday. Of course Morion had decided last minute not to even come to practice today, and was making birdhouses with Amethyst at the garden, leaving Citrine to wait alone. She stilled at the knock at the door, and turned to stare silently through the screen.

Sweet-P stood at the door, wearing a sleeveless tunic over black sports tights. She wrapped her left arm across her body and glanced down at her wrist when Citrine doesn't move toward her, worried she'd missed something.

Citrine took a deep, calming breath and opened the door.

She saluted, pointed to herself, then tapped two left fingers on two right fingers, _hi, my name is. _Then she signed the letters for her name, C-I-T-R-I-T- "oh wait no," she corrected, N-E.

A smile on her face, Sweet-P signed back, _nice to meet you C*_, then quickly double tapped her fingers in front of her, activating the invisible digital keyboard that allowed her to electronically vocalize the reply in a way Citrine could understand. Citrine's eyes lit up as she tried to repeat the string of signs back.

"Wait what did you do for my name? Morion and I looked for signs for our names but couldn't find any!"

"_C-shine,"_ The signs she and PJ had started using for Citrine, "_We can change it if you want. Maybe you like this better?" _She signed the C again, but this time tapping against two outstretched fingers. But the hint of a smirk on her lips tipped Citrine off.

"What's that one?" She asked, with a humoured suspicious look.

"_C-sit!" _Sweet-P teased.

Citrine shook her head, a smile blooming across her face, "No-ho-ho-hahahaha! The first one! The first one! C-shine! Like my gem!" She turned to show off the hand-sized golden-hued crystal set in her lower back, prominently displayed below the knotted up hem of her jersey.

"_Wow. Does it hurt?"_

"No! Well if I lay on it wrong it does…"

"_Can I touch it?"_

"Oh… uh, yeah?" Citrine blushed as gentle fingers traced facets she'd never see first hand.

"_It's so warm."_

"Is it?" Citrine shivered, "You uhm," she cleared her throat, "you ready for soccer practice?"

"_Yeah! Lets go!"_

Citrine grabbed her hand and raced down the stairs.

"_hy hol on iin._"

"Uh, What?"

Sweet-P halted and pulled her hand free of Citrine's to glance at the screen on her wrist. A spurt of laughter accompanied her answer, "_I said hey hold on Citrine. I can't talk without my hands, it'd be like if you were talking and I did this."_ She pressed her fingers against Citrine's cheek and mouth, causing her to laugh and nod in understanding.

"Got it! hmm..." She looked at her hands before making a fist of one and holding it out for Sweet-P to place an open hand on, and they hurried toward the fields in a companionable silence.

* * *

**A/N:**

Lots of notes!

I'm assuming that's how Rose's/Steven's healing powers work anyway… _Nightmare Hospital_ or other future episodes might shed some more light on that but that's what I'm going with for this fic, and so Citrine's work the same way.

_Ipomoea_ is apparently pronounced ippa-mia, I'll confess I frequently read it as ehp-OH-mia, but pretty much everyone knows her as Sweet-P, so its a moot point. Weird name gang can google it to figure out what the joke/reference is there. PJ is also a nickname, originally intended as a placeholder, but I couldn't find anything worthy of replacing "Peedee Junior" Or maybe it's Peejay? And hey, it works, mom's a flower, daughter's a flower; dad's letters, son's letters.

As this is the first time the kids meet anyone new 'on screen' I had them formally introduce themselves… Hope it reads as intended. Concise, united, habitual.

The signs used are ASL. However, when using the E.A.R.S. to communicate, Sweet-P is _typing_, not using ASL, as signs often rely on _much _more than just finger placement that could be detected by the rings. There are a few technologies that I've seen concepts/prototypes for that inspired this system, which makes me think it's more than plausible that such a thing will be readily available in 25ish years when this chapter takes place.

When quoted text is in all italics its the "voice" coming from the device. It's not really distinguishable from a human voice (I imagine vocaloid/speaking software will develop greatly in 25 years as well), the only thing a bit disorienting about it is that it's coming from the communicator, and any facial cues might be a bit delayed. Likewise, someone using the E.A.R.S. would have to read everything being said out on the device's screen, and it can get tripped up if people start talking over each other or it can't filter out background noises like music… or loud waves.

Importantly, although I tried to do my best research wise, there was a bit of conflicting information I found regarding name signs. I used a "combo" style that seems to be used _informally _especially among hearing students of ASL, as that seemed to fit best here. I know I'm _not _qualified to be making descriptive or arbitrary style name signs, but if anyone finds issue with what I used and is experienced enough to help me out, please shoot me a PM!

For art of the Fryman kids (and lots more), follow the fic's tumblr: QuartizineTrioFic

There's a bit of foreshadowing here, or post-shadowing if you've already read _Light Show_...


	13. Bag Time: Round 1

_Sometimes the only way to win..._

_Kids Ages: 13/11/9_

* * *

"Look how many bags I can hold!" Citrine stood, legs planted wide, straining arms strung up with canvas bags of groceries.

"Don't hurt yourself," Steven warned, his owns hands heavy with gallons of milk and juice. Citrine took a wobbly step and her sandaled foot sunk deep in the sand. "Can you even walk with all those?"

"Uh…" Her eyes followed the path up, up, up toward the house, "… yeah… maybe?"

Cairn and Morion stood next to Connie as she scrutinized the back of the loaded van, "I never realize how much we buy until its time to carry it all up the stairs…"

Morion smiled and handed Cairn a bag, "Hurry, before Citrine takes all of them!"

"She's not going anywhere fast," Cairn laughed, racing past her and then Steven.

"Morion?" Connie asked.

"Yes, Mom?" Ri answered innocently.

"…be good," she smiled and made her way up the path, nearly colliding with Cairn on his way back down the stairs.

Morion smiled and handed Cairn another bag. Cairn raced back past Citrine who was determinedly making her way up the sandy slope.

"You sure you don't want me to take some of those?" Ri called out to Citrine. She shook her head vigorously and hefted her arms up higher as she staggered forward. "Kay! You're doin' great!"

Morion crawled up into the van, and waited for Cairn to return.

By the time the van was empty, Cairn had made the same number of trips as Citrine had been able to hold bags on her single trip. Connie and Steven were making quick work of putting everything away when Morion entered with a large package of paper towels.

Handing them to Steven, Ri scampered to the fridge and pulled out a juice box, humming energetically, and climbed into a bar stool at the kitchen counter.

"That went quick this time," Steven noted, sliding the extra paper towels onto the shelf above the fridge.

"Thanks to Morion's little competition," Connie winked.

"Oh?" Steven looked over Ri's curls into the living room, "So, who won?"

Morion turned back to see Cairn and Citrine spread out on the couch, exhausted, sweat soaked bodies in a tired, messy heap, "_I_ did."

* * *

**A/N:**

_...is not to play._

Super Short Chapter that has been on my tumblr for a while. (Follow QuartizineTrioFic if you want sneak peeks, art, and behind the scenes stuff, also taking asks!) Wasn't going to post it here at all but the chapter I'm posting tomorrow(?) is also pretty short (_Just a Trace_). The one that I'm posting after that (_Warp Tour: Pocket Edition_) is ready and it is almost 5k words. I think I'll post it thursday since I'm still really bummed we have to wait a whole extra month for _Nightmare Hospital_!


	14. Just a Trace

_Citrine admires Greg's creations._

_Kids Ages: 13/11/9_

* * *

"Oh wow Gregpa!" Citrine leaned over Greg's shoulder as he put the finishing touches on the drawing he'd been working on. He turned his head and smiled, lifting up the sketch pad so that she could see it better without putting so much pressure on his back. "That's dad isn't it?" She pointed, sitting back on her knees. The curly haired toddler in the sketch was suspended between the arms of two figures strolling on the beach.

"Yep, back when I was still taller than him," Greg chuckled.

"That's awesome, I wish I could draw like that." She shot a quick glance to the portrait over the front door, confirming the identity of the larger figure in the sketch.

"You could, I've seen your work," he nodded toward the fridge, "just keep practicing."

"I wouldn't even know where to start!"

Greg pat the spot on the bench seat beside him, and flipped the book to a blank page. Citrine plopped down and leaned against the dining room table to watch as he sketched out another form, laughing when he added stylistic representation of her own wild curls. He winked and ripped the sheet and the one behind it out of the book, sliding the pages over to her.

When he put the blank sheet on top, and went to hand her the pencil, Citrine's eyes widened and she pushed back away from the papers, sending the whole table sliding a few inches to his right.

"Citrine?"

"Cairn says tracin' is like.. cheating…?" she said softly, unsure.

"Hmm, tracing can be a way to learn, especially when you're first getting started. As long as you're honest about it."

Citrine wasn't convinced.

"Do you remember when you were helping Cairn learn his letters?" Greg continued. Citrine nodded slowly. "You'd write his name, and then you'd guide his hand over each letter, until he could follow them on his own." Greg placed the pencil in her hand and set it on the paper, not so much tracing the image below as drawing it again, "Then he'd draw over the letters you wrote, until soon enough, he could write each letter all by himself. But at first, it might not look right, or even like the same letter!" He released her hand and watched as she finished fleshing out the slightly misproportioned figure, adding a few extra details of her own, "But if you practice it enough times, it starts to feel natural."

"Hey I did it!" She lifted up the top page, revealing more of the second drawing's differences, "well sorta."

"You want to know the amazing part?" He whispered conspiratorially, like he was imparting a great life secret, "Just like handwriting, even though we learn by tracing and copying, we each end up with our own unique style."

"Can I try again?"

"Sure," Greg chuckled and handed her the sketch book, she started drawing again before realizing she now held the only pencil. "Oh, what about you?"

"You go ahead," He reached over and picked up his guitar from where it was leaning against the side of the fridge, "I've got something else I'm working on…"

Citrine went back to drawing as Greg strummed a few chords and hummed out the song in his head before putting it all together.

_There's a little bit of you,_

_In everything you make and do._

_There's a little of your heart,_

_In every master piece of art._

_A reflection of your perspective,_

_Ya know its all a smudge subjective,_

_You can give your voice a life its own,_

_Watch it carry on in your place,_

_It won't take nothing rife I'm told,_

_Start with just a trace._

"It still doesn't look like how it does in my head…" Citrine announced, smiling at her work, "but… I like it!"

* * *

**A/N:**

There's a difference between tracing to learn and tracing then posting that work online or in a gallery of 'your' work, just to head that off before I get any upset notes about that lol.

Another short chapter, next one is super long though!

I'm not great at songwriting but Greg _is_ talking about more than songs and artwork with his pun-filled lyrics.

I always thought since seeing Greg's Water Witch drawing that he was the one who painted the portrait of Rose, but now I'm thinking it could be Vidalia who painted it instead? Or maybe a collaborative effort? What do you think?


	15. Dad Tag!

_New and improved Steven Tag: Bigger, Brighter, Dadder. Who's team are you on?_

_Kids' Ages: 13.5/11.5/9.5_

* * *

"Pearl!" came a frantic cry from outside the Beach House.

"Cairn!?" Pearl yelled, abandoning the dirty dishes and rushing outside as she summoned her spear.

"Help me, save me, help me!" Cairn leaped into Pearl's arms, burying his face into his Gemma's neck, "Saaave meee!"

"What's going on, where are-" Cairn leaned back and stuck a slender finger against the gem on her forehead, no trace of the terror his shouts had belied on his face. Confused, Pearl looked down and recognized the simple lightfit fallow-colored t-shirt he was wearing, a cream colored star in the center. "Oh geez, I can't believe I fell for that again," she mumbled, dissolving her spear as a small rueful smile formed on her lips.

"Dad-Tag!" Cairn crowed.

"Alright, alright," she set him on the ground before shapeshifting into a pint-sized Steven as the genuine article raced up, shifted down to about Cairn's age, with Amethyst in matching form.

"4 down, 2 to go!" Steven reached up and clapped Cairn on the back.

"Way to go Littler Guy!" Amethyst praised, despite the fact that at the moment, Cairn was taller than Steven.

"I did it just like you told me!" Cairn grinned.

"Crying Wolf," Amethyst laughed, "works every time!"

"Well," Pearl asked, "who's next?"

* * *

Citrine followed a serpentine route between the posts under the pier, a light-formed star shimmering over the top of her swimsuit, her white mesh hoodie tied around her waist. Tagging Garnet was one of the most challenging aspects of winning a game of Dad-Tag, not only did you have to deal with future vision, but you had to touch _both _of her gems. Luckily for her team, Citrine didn't shy away from challenges.

"You can't win if you don't play!" Citrine called out, sensing the fusion nearby.

"You can't win-" came a familiar voice, "-if you're on-" the voice echoed off the bottom of the pier and Citrine spun around, trying to find its source, "-the wrong-" Citrine gasped as she spotted Connie stepping out from behind a nearby post. If _actual_ Mom was here, her challenge just got _a lot_ more difficult. Citrine took a few startled steps away. "-team!" She whirled around as gentle fingers brushed against her gem.

"Garnet!?"

The Connie-shaped Gemma chuckled, visor reflecting a spectrum of colors as she she nodded her head, "Mom Tag."

Connie quickly joined them to watch as Citrine dutifully changed the star projected onto her top into a six-pointed sun, the symbol she and Cairn used when they got tagged to Connie's team, "What's the score?"

"2-2? We- _they_, were going after Pearl when I left. I don't know if they got her out of the house or not."

"Was Cairn going to cry wolf?" Garnet asked.

"Yeah…"

"Then they got her," Garnet confirmed.

"What about Morion?" her elusive youngest sibling could be just as hard to tag as Garnet. Even after they'd changed the rules to make Morion's cheeks count, that was still a hard to reach target. Add in the fact that it was near impossible to tell if Morion had been tagged already or not, the mini master of strategy typically determined which team ended up winning.

"Haven't seen Rion," Connie shook her head, glancing around to make sure nobody had snuck up on them.

"Either way, we're outnumbered," Citrine frowned.

"Morion will avoid us unless we split up," Garnet advised. "We'll need to divide the Stevens as well."

"Bait and switch?" Connie asked excitedly.

Garnet nodded and handed over her visor, "Keep your hands closed, and don't let them approach you slowly." Connie nodded and slid the visor on, adjusting her long hair around its edges. "Citrine, keep an eye out for Morion," Garnet added before rushing out from under the pier.

"And _don't _get tagged!" Connie shouted back with a smile as she raced out the opposite direction.

"Got it!"

* * *

"Are you dadded?" Citrine asked, circling around her youngest sibling just in case. Morion couldn't lightfit a star or sun like she and Cairn, instead shifting mor hair to be either more Steveny or more Conniey, but sometimes Morion's hair did that anyway, "I can't tell!?"

Morion's eyes closed, "Mmmm… how bout now!?"

"Ah! Morion! You look like dad!" Citrine cried out, eyes flicking up and down the new-yet-familiar form before her. Morion pat the loose curls, the same hairstyle the gems used when they were Steven-tagged. "No, I mean you _really_ look like Dad, uh," Citrine fished her phone out of the hoodie's pocket and snapped a picture of Morion, holding the phone close to her chest as she approached.

Morion reached out to grasp the phone and saw the face on the screen. Ri'd nailed young Dad's curls alright, and his face, and… Ri looked down past the phone, his arms and belly. "Oh… this is… different," Morion muttered, looking back up at Citrine, who promptly tapped Ri on the cheek.

_This had to be a new record._ "Mom tag!" Citrine beamed, eager eyes shining.

* * *

Steven rubbed his eyes, surely this was Garnet creating a diversion, the setting sun had to be tricking his eyes to think Garnet's colors were closer to Connie's than they should have been able to be. Maybe this was a holograph, or some other less benign gem magic. He held his hand out to stop Amethyst from rushing forward. Not only could there be danger, but for all he knew, she might be his last Steven. The whole premise of Connie-Tag, or Mom-Tag as the kids had come to call it, was that the gems would shift to look like her, but they'd always shifted to look however she did that day, not… like this, no, something was definitely up.

"Connie!?" She stood before them near the rocks she'd climbed all those years ago to get away from the glow worm, looking not a day older than when he'd seen her the first time during the Boardwalk Parade... and no gems rested in her open hands. She looked solid enough, downright human. She didn't have her glasses and her long hair was pulled forward over her shoulders in a way he'd never seen her wear, but even the boots were the same. Just like the ones worn by-

"Morion!?" Steven and Amethyst realized at the same time. Amethyst squealed giddily and ducked under Steven's arm, racing toward the youngest Universe.

Steven spared a brief glance at the rocky outcropping, the perfect place to stage an ambush, and chuckled when Citrine popped out and tagged Amethyst right on the gem. He shook his head and shifted back to normal, conceding the victory to Connie's team.

Steven jogged over, catching Morion's eye and flashing a proud smile as Amethyst enthusiastically examined the spaces between each of Morion's shifted fingers.

"You shoulda seen mor do dad! Go on Rion, show'em!" Citrine shook Morion's shoulder and long wavy hair shrank into short, tight, curls as Morion's rounder form reemerged.

"Citrine, stop," Steven pulled her away from her rattled sibling, "You don't have to do it if you don't want to, Morion," Steven insisted, placing a steadying hand on Ri's arm.

"No, its okay, but," Morion yawned, hair relaxing into looser curls, "maybe later?"

"Is that the first time you've changed shape?" Amethyst asked excitedly, "You did _way_ better than Steven! He turned all his fingers into cats, and then, when he couldn't get them to go away, they attacked him! Total riot!"

"Why?" Morion turned to Steven, aghast.

"I didn't _want_ them to attack me!" Steven exclaimed as Citrine and Amethyst roared with laughter.

"No, I mean, why would you want _cats_ for _fingers_?"

* * *

**A/N:** and why were some of the cats tan, yellow, and dark brown? I thought Gems couldn't change color? ...tan, _goldenrod_, and dark brown.

Rules of Dad-Tag/Mom-Tag:

No playing inside, gotta stay on the beach.

Tags don't count unless they're on the gem (except for Morion, cheek counts. Gotta tag all of any fused Gems gems.)

You have to identify the team you're on once tagged.

Strategy (aka trickery) is tolerated and encouraged.

Game ends once all 6 Gems and Gemlings are all Stevens or all Connies, (or when Steven or Connie concede)


	16. Warp Tour: Pocket Edition

_Synthesis: What do you get when you mix Gem Magic and Human Innovation?_

_Kids Ages: 14/12/10_

* * *

"Here, you take us home-"

"It's not gonna work," Morion pushed the whistle back toward Citrine and stepped up onto the dais to join her.

Citrine groaned and looked around the garden. The weeds were thriving, but so were the flowers and trees. The damaged geometric pattern in the tile had been patched up with salvaged scraps of broken pottery, discarded plates, and various rocks from around the world. Irregular gaps were filled with moss, colored aquarium gravel, or smooth sand. Tracks from animals that had skittered into hiding upon Citrine's arrival could be seen in the dirt. An eccentric collection of bird houses made of upcycled trash hung from trees and the hands of broken statuaries. Lots of pieces she recognized from Amethyst's room, others were items the kids had broken over the years, or things that must have been destroyed in various gem battles.

The collection was far from discordant, however. Every varied piece seemed to have found a new purpose and as a whole the garden resonated with a comforting harmony. And Citrine knew why.

Morion's arms and pants were covered in dirt. It had taken Citrine half an hour to find her youngest sibling, transferring some sort of sprouts out from under the shade of a tree that was soaking up all the sunlight with its thick canopy. It had taken her nearly as long to convince Morion they really did have to return home.

It wasn't like Morion to give up on something so easily.

"Well, _I'm_ not gonna do it til you at least try," Citrine vowed.

Dad and the Gems were on a mission, and Mom wouldn't be able to come get them on her own, since she'd given Citrine rare permission to take the whistle out by herself… but she expected Cairn to show up any minute and tell them they were grounded… or had missed dinner. Citrine wasn't sure which would be worse.

"I thought you said you were hungry?" Morion countered, with a jaded look.

"I am! How're you not?!" Citrine shook the whistle at Morion.

"If _you're_ just gonna stand here, _I'm_ gonna go back to work!" Morion shouldered past her and moved to step off the dais, but was stopped by Citrine's unshakeable grasp. Ri turned around with a scowl that quickly disappeared upon seeing Citrine's face.

Tears threatened to fall from bright amber eyes. Citrine's lip wavered as she stared at the whistle between them, odd half-words fell out of her mouth as she tried and failed to vocalize her fear, "I- I just- _please, _Mori? _Please_ try? I know how much this place means to you… and… we can't make the warp work like Cairn and Dad can. Dad could do it by now, and we- But with the whistle? Its okay!? Don't you wanna come here on your own? You love it here, Rion, I just want you to be able to do what makes you happy-"

"Citrine-" Ignoring the whistle, Morion wrapped her in a comforting hug and felt as her unsteady near-sobs struggled to return to normal, "It's that important to you?"

Citrine nodded against Ri's shoulder, mumbling her reply, "_You're_ important."

Sighing, Morion pulled back, resigned, "I'll try okay? But... sometimes there are things we just _can't do_, and you gotta be ok-"

"You used to not talk-"

Morion squinted at her, mouth agape, _nobody's born talking-_

"-cause of your gem?"

Morion's mouth snapped closed, frowning. _That wasn't why I didn't talk… was it?_

"-but you kept trying? And you learned how ta do that!" Citrine continued, wiping the wetness from her eyes.

Morion just stared at her, cheeks puffed out in indignation.

"Or... did you forget?" Citrine joked nervously.

Head shaking, Morion grabbed the whistle and blew on it bitterly, producing the same awful noise that had garnered an excuse from recorder lessons with the rest of the class three months ago, the same awful noise that had first blared out of Cairn's borrowed recorder two years prior, and the same awful noise heard every time Ri'd built up enough nerve to sneak the warp whistle off its hook and tried to use it when nobody else was around to see -or rather, hear- Morion fail.

Only this time, the noise was accompanied by the white light of the warp stream. It enveloped them in a momentary rush of magic, depositing them… right back where they had just been standing? No, they hadn't moved at all.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Cairn!" the euphoric look on Citrine's face turned to horror as she pushed their brother.

"Hey!?" Cairn stumbled back but regained his balance, looking between his two teary eyed siblings.

Morion shoved the whistle lengthwise against Citrine's chest, and tugged urgently on Cairn's arm, face turned away from the both of them, "Nothing! Just take us home."

* * *

The next day, Citrine sat on the couch with Aukuri perched on her knee. The gloom of the day before hung heavy in the air. Her school tablet lay asleep in her lap as she spun the warp whistle in her hands. Cairn was up in the tower, Morion and their parents were out at the grocery store, the gems were in their temple rooms… the house was unnaturally quiet.

Sighing heavily, she tapped the screen, re-reading the prompt for the end of year project. "Synthesis."

She plopped the whistle between her lips so that she could use her other hand to scroll through the ideas she'd typed out earlier.

They had to combine two or more different concepts- one that they'd studied that year in class and one based on a personal interest- into a single presentation, either in groups or by themselves.

A song about math stuff? Geometric drawings based on gem facets? She wasn't sure where to start. Cairn was writing a story for his, and she was pretty sure Morion was doing _something _with those plants. She wondered what Sal was working on, maybe they could partner up. She pulled out her phone and shot off a text, "_what r u doing for final?_"

The phone chimed a few seconds later, and Aukuri mimicked the familiar sound as Citrine read the message, "_Soccer stats, graphs and stuff, with Viv._"

"_IDK viv like soccer?_"

"_Yeah! Comes to all our games? Dork. Decided what you're doing?"_

"_IDK ideas?"_

"_Something Gem? Guaranteed Original. You could break your arm again. Or someone else's ;P"_

"_harhar rents would not oprof"_

When no reply immediately returned, she went back to her notes -and her short list of ideas. What had they even covered this year? Pre-algebra, world geography, reading, the scientific method... the standard stuff, but then there were all the different guest lecturers. They'd gone to see Shakespeare on the Beach that day with Dad, there was that A/V editing block that Mr. Fryman had done, Grandmother had come in to explain organ systems, Mom had talked about her latest book- her train of thought was interrupted when the phone finally chimed again.

"_Viv says try asking Ipomoea? ;)"_

"_Good idea!" _Switching message threads, Citrine got distracted by the last thing Sweet-P had sent her, some low res ancient snippet of 2D video.

"_Is this as funny as it looks?_" she had captioned it.

Citrine clicked on it to watch it again, the sound of multiple people talking at once while staticky music blared in the background poured out of the phone's speaker. Laughter bubbled up in her and escaped through the whistle, filling the room with light from the warp pad as it reacted to the short tune.

Citrine sat up, expecting someone -or something- to warp in, belatedly remembering that that's just what happened when you played the whistle when not on the warp pad. Aukuri, however, remained confused. She hopped around on Citrine's knee, head turning from side to side as she looked toward the empty platform.

Citrine smiled at her reaction and played a few random notes, watching as the bird sat mesmerized by the light. She turned her dark eyes to Citrine as if to say, _Are you seeing this?!_

Chuckling, Citrine played a few different notes, _Strawberry Field_. The light reappeared, but this time Aukuri turned to examine Citrine and the whistle before looking back at the warp pad.

"That's my smart birdie," Citrine praised.

"Smart bird," Aukuri repeated.

"Do you recognize this one?" Citrine played the tune for Mask Island, where they'd found her three years ago. She seemed to enjoy that one, and Citrine played it again. The third time Citrine played it, Aukuri joined her, perfectly mimicking the magical tune. "Nice! You're good at that!" She stroked Aukuri's neck, causing the bird to close her eyes in pleased satisfaction.

Citrine's phone pinged and she put down the whistle to open the new message.

"_bag time!_" Morion's text read. Citrine threw her phone and tablet aside and picked up Aukuri, letting her perch on her hand.

"CAIRN!" She shouted up at the hatch in the ceiling.

"I know I know," Cairn yelled back, sliding the hatch open. Aukuri flew up through the opening and Cairn climbed down the ladder, "I got it, too, Citrine." Jumping down from the loft and landing on the couch beside her, he added dramatically, "_BAG. TIME._"

They shared a competitive smirk before rushing toward the front door.

* * *

Late that night, Cairn sat at the desk in his room, typing away on the story he was writing for his final. The moonlight reflected off the lazy waves in a way that would have been hypnotic enough to cause him to drift to sleep… had he not been so involved in his writing.

Aukuri sat in the golden hollow of her favorite perch, an ancient stone set off to the side of his desk near the propped open floor hatch. He left it open some nights when he felt up for chatting, as it seemed to draw his Gemmas like moths to flame. But either they were out on a mission or deep in their rooms because no sound reached him from the otherwise slumbering household below.

Hitting a snag in the story he drummed his fingers against the desk. _I could use some conversation. _Aukuri bobbed up and down on her perch before adding her own little song to his beat.

Hearing the warp pad activate and seeing the flash through the opening in the floor, Cairn stood and left his desk to go see who had arrived. He stuck his head down to the main room and looked over the beams into the back of the house toward the temple door.

Nobody was there.

"I guess they could have been going somewhere," he wondered aloud, "though I didn't hear the temple door… but I didn't hear it after the warp either... hello?" No response. "Citrine? Amethyst?"… maybe his hearing was worse than he thought. He pulled back up into his room, finding Aukuri staring at him intently, presenting her chest for a good scratching. "Proud of yourself tonight, huh?" He held out his hand and obliged her, legs dangling down above the loft below, "for what do I owe you this honor may I ask?"

She sang her little song again, and once again the room below filled with light. Moving quickly, he slid down the ladder, Aukuri in tow, determined to catch whoever was pranking him red handed.

"Hey!" he called into the empty room, soft enough to hopefully not wake his parents in the room beside the loft, but sudden enough to maybe force the prankster into revealing themselves.

Still no sign of anyone.

Aukuri alighted to one of the ceiling beams as Cairn slipped down to the couch below, peeking into the hallway toward Citrine and Morion's rooms. Finding nothing suspicious he tiptoed across the room and jumped onto the kitchen counter, sliding across it to get the jump on anyone who might be hiding down on the kitchen floor.

"Okay, what is going on?" He asked the empty room, growing frustrated. Aukuri responded with a few vocalizations he couldn't decipher and then a few whistles. He stopped paying attention though when the warp pad activated in front of his eyes. The stream opened and closed a few times, but nobody appeared on the pad. Squinting, he turned to look back at the front door, making out the shape of the warp whistle hanging on its hook. "The warp is glitching out?" He walked to the pad as Aukuri flew to join him, and he checked it over for any signs of physical damage. He cautiously stepped on to the pad and warped out to the laundry room.

"Works fine," he said to Aukuri, who puffed her belly out again. "Well, while we're out here..." He grabbed the empty basket and filled it with clothes from the dryer, transferring the damp clothes from the washer over before picking up the basket and stepping back onto the dias.

"Remind me to tell Gemma Pearl about the warp in the morning."

Aukuri kept quiet and gave him the stink eye as he warped them back inside and headed up to the tower room, shutting the hatch door securely behind them.

* * *

"_Look what I found on our Underground Tour field trip!_" Citrine read the text then scrolled down to the first shot Sweet-P had attached. In the center of a store full of touristy knick-knacks sat a display rack full of bird plushies. In the looping frames she could see the walls were dark stone and looked stained by decades of water leaks, making it reminiscent of an ancient dungeon. There were a few kids their age in the shot; she recognized PJ goofing around in the background before flicking to the second image. It was a close up of her friend as she pressed one of the stuffed animals to her face, the special rings on her slender fingers glinting in the bright lights of the store's central display. Finding Aukiri on her perch in Cairn's room, Citrine opened up the app she used to send Sweet-P video messages and posed with her feathered friend, "Mine's cuter!" she laughed, and Aukuri whistled suddenly in her ear.

The warp stream illuminated and Citrine quickly headed downstairs, missing the ping from her phone alerting her to a new message, "Who-"

Instead of someone returning from a mission, Cairn, Morion, and Pearl were examining the warp pad.

"This is what it was doing last night," Cairn explained.

"I've been watching it all day," Pearl frowned, "and this is the first time I've seen it do this. Hmm… If we can't duplicate the issue then I'm not sure how we'll-"

"Hey, what's going on?" Citrine joined them.

"The warp keeps activating on its own," Morion supplied, a bit sourly.

"Yeah I saw the stream light when I was capchatting Sweet-P."

"Capchat?" Pearl wondered, she couldn't keep up with these ever changing programs.

"It lets you send auto-captioned video clips-"

"You got it on video?" Morion asked, perking up. Citrine nodded. "Can I see?"

Citrine plopped down next to Morion on the edge of the warp pad, and pulled up her sent messages. Pearl and Cairn leaned over them to watch.

Citrine played the video, and the warp reactivated. Pearl and Cairn instinctively pulled away, but Citrine and Morion suddenly found themselves warped to Mask Island.

And surrounded by a pile of stuffed birds.

"What the?"

"Hey! These are like the birds in the picture Sweet-P sent me!"

"Citrine! Your… your phone activated the warp!"

"Huh? That wasn't you…?" Morion glared back, "Oh, wait my phone? How?

Morion grabbed her hand and they moved off the warp pad, "Play it again!"

Watching the recording of Aukiri, Morion quickly recognized the warp whistle song for the island retreat. How many times had that tune run through Ri's head while trying to activate the warp, or play that stupid whistle? Morion would know it anywhere.

"Its not the whistle… Citrine! It's not the whistle, its the song!"

"Hold on I got a message from Sweet-P, oh actually a bunch," Citrine read the series of frantic messages to herself, "_What the heck did you send me?!" "Citrine?!" "Why aren't you answering!?" "All their stuff is gone!" _Then the picture. It was the same scene from before -sans the stuffed animals- and the thing Sweet-P had been trying to show her in the first place became crystal clear.

"Its a warp pad!"

"Citrine!" Morion shook her shoulder excitedly.

"huh?"

"Do you know what this means!?"

"We can go to Pacifica?!" The northwest state where their two friends lived during the school year.

"Citrine! We can go _**anywhere**_!"

"Yeah! We just take the whi-" _No, wait, they didn't even need the whistle-_ "Oh! Mori!" Citrine grabbed Morion and spun, "_Anyone_ can go anywhere!"

But Morion's mind was racing far ahead of her, "If each place has a different song, that's like, hundreds of songs, how many do you know?"

"I... dunno?"

"Do you know the one for home?"

"Of course!"

"Good, cause otherwise we're stranded here!" Morion laughed, a bit anxious at the thought.

"It's like, uhm," Citrine held her hands like she was holding the warp whistle and whistled the tune for home.

Morion watched the warp pad excitedly, waiting, "Try again!"

Citrine lowered her hands and sung the tune, but as pure and clear as she sang, the warp pad did not react.

Morion frowned, "Maybe… we have to play it?" Morion grabbed the phone and opened an app that let you play digital versions of numerous instruments. "Is this right?" Morion pinged away on the digital piano.

"Yeah that was it. Why isn't it working?"

Morion switched instruments and tried a dozen more times. "I don't know... there's… must be a variable we're missing."

"Uh," Citrine groaned, "like the experiments we did at school?"

"Yeah, we have to figure out… if it was Aukuri, or your phone, or the song- how did Aukuri know the song anyway?"

"You're turning _this _into work too?"

"_Citrine._"

"Okay, so I _might _have taught her the song a few days ago…"

"Did the warp activate then?"

"Oh… maybe?"

"You knew she could do this?!"

"What? No, I… uhm…" Citrine picked up one of the stuffed birds and examined it with feigned interest.

"How could you not notice the warp going off?" Morion asked suspiciously.

"I just didn't realize it was her…"

"Who else would it- You were using the whistle without permission!"

"I wasn't _using _it-"

"It's for emergencies!"

"Nobody was out!"

Morion groaned and pulled out the phone again, "Well somebody's out now-"

"Wait!" Citrine grabbed the phone back, keeping Morion from using the recording to summon help, the reason the whistle was _supposed _to be used. "We can't just give up- Help me with this."

"I-" Morion didn't want to get involved...get emotionally invested. Everytime Ri came up with a possible solution to the whole warping issue, it never panned out. It was too much to take again. The idea might be intriguing, but, "I don't have time to think about this right now, maybe once summer starts-"

"Oh! Its perfect! _This _can be our final!"

"Our- but… my Mendel's Cross-"

"Your what?!"

"My peas-"

"What about my P- I mean-" Morion's snicker caused Citrine's face to flush, "Morion! I'm being serious," Citrine stomped her foot, "I can't do it alone, not all the sciency, _variable_ stuff. I know I'm prolly gonna be in trouble for using the whistle," she mumbled grumpily, "and yeah, I do need to do well on my Final, but it's _more _than that. This is important to me, and I know it's important to you, too, even if you don't wanna admit it for whatever reason-" It was Morion's turn to turn away, embarrassed. "I _believe _we can do it. It's not just the warp whistle all over again... we _know _this'll work, we just gotta figure out _how_," She pressed the play button on her proof of concept, activating the warp stream, "So… will you please help me?"

Looking back at her, determined to succeed, prepared to face all obstacles, dramatically back-lit by the beacon that was surely bringing someone ready to ground her, hand outstretched… Morion knew there was only one answer to give.

"Oh thank goodness!"

"Mom!"

Connie rushed over to them, "What's going on? Are you okay? Everyone's out looking for you two-"

"We're fine," Citrine assured her.

"Just… working on a project for school," Morion added, smiling at Citrine as the three of them headed back to the warp pad.

"Oh… What's with the stuffed animals?"

"Actually, can you help us with that?" Citrine pulled up the picture of the store they'd inadvertently robbed, "We need to take them back here."

"Is that... PJ?"

Citrine quickly turned away to pile all the toys onto the dais and into Morion's arms before squeezing onto the platform herself. She opened up Capchat and started recording her response. "Sorry! We're on our way," Citrine paused as Connie blew the warp whistle, "and don't play that message again!"

The three Universes and the pile of stuffed animals warped into the gift shop which used to be a town square before the city had raised the roads up a level to keep them from turning to muddy mush every time it rained (which was often). A young bewildered clerk stood by a woman frantically gesturing at a group of school children that included PJ and Ipomoea Fryman. PJ's wave and mischievous smile alerted the others to their arrival.

"Hello!" Connie called cheerily, "Sorry about the misunderstanding," She addressed the clerk, "I believe these are your... seagulls?"

"Sea...hawks..." the clerk corrected, trying to comprehend their sudden appearance in the center of the room.

"_Told you_ it wasn't us!" PJ smirked.

"You might not want to keep merchandise on an ancient piece of alien technology," Morion supplied, kicking the birds off of the warp pad and onto the stony ground. The blood draining from the clerk's face made Morion worry that the suggestion hadn't sounded helpful so much as threatening.

Citrine hopped off the dais with the intent of greeting her friends in the crowd, and the clerk scrambled backwards, terrified. Grabbing her daughter, Connie put her other hand to her chest, addressing the students and their supervisor, "Sorry, this little space invader is grounded."

"Aw, Mom! I can't even say Hi?" Citrine looked back and saluted towards the giggling students.

"You just did," Connie smiled and blew the whistle, warping them home.

* * *

"Ready?" Steven asked them Saturday, Aukuri on Citrine's shoulder, the warp whistle around Citrine's neck, Morion with a loaded backpack, phone out ready to record.

"Sure you don't wanna come, Cairn?" Citrine called out.

Cairn was sitting next to Connie on the couch as she slowly scrolled through a document on the tablet.

"Mom's proofing my story… tell me how it goes when you get back though?"

"Alright! You too! See ya!" She blew the whistle and they were off.

That evening, the family sat around the coffee table, sharing the pizza that Greg had brought over, soaking in the kids' excitement as they retold the day's adventure. Amethyst lounged on the stairs while Garnet leaned against the panelled wall. Greg sat in the armchair, Pearl, Connie, and Steven crammed onto the couch while the kids sat on the floor. Aukuri was asleep in the rafters, the steady hum of magical energy could be felt pulsating around them in the absence of the usual buzz of technology.

"-and then Aukuri got bored, so Ri just recorded me playing the whistle, and guess what! That worked too!" Citrine threw her arms out in excitement.

"What about when you called home?" Cairn asked between bites.

"Ri wanted to see if the temple warp would activate through the phone when we played the whistle or when Aukuri sang or... wait, what were the others?"

"Over the phone, playing a recording of either Aukuri or the whistle," Morion explained, ticking all the options off on each finger.

"Yeah! Morion was really good at keeping everything organized!"

"I just write everything down, see I made a chart-"

Connie and Pearl both eyed the chart, focusing on the locations Morion had jotted down, _Mask Island, Strawberry Field, Home, Laundry Room, Pacifica Square, Canary Cove, The Garden, Sky Arena…_ all places that had been clear of malicious gem activity for years. Pearl visibly relaxed and Connie handed the chart back to Morion before leaning her head against Steven's shoulder.

He turned and winked at her when she softly pressed her lips to his skin, lacing their fingers together before finishing his slice.

"How's your story going Cairn?"

"Really good, Mom helped me with _Captain Solitaire_'s background story, I should be able to finish it tonight!"

"When are your presentations?" Pearl asked them.

"We have to be ready Monday, but it could be any day next week."

"Tuesday," Garnet supplied helpfully.

"How're you gonna show everyone what your whistle sounds do? Are you gonna bring everyone here for a demonstration?" Amethyst sat up.

"Can we!?" Citrine's eyes widened as she envisioned sending their entire class through the warp stream.

"No," Garnet quickly shut down, "but… you can still show them how it works," She leaned over and picked up the tablet half hidden by pizza boxes. After staring at the screen for a few unsure seconds she activated the camera, taking a quick candid shot of her family, before hitting record and moving to get a better angle, "Go on, show us how it works."

"Oh, okay… Cairn?" Morion stood and went to retrieve the whistle, "Could you demonstrate the... traditional warp technique, please?"

"Why of course," Cairn jumped up and bounded to the warp pad, activating it with inherent gem magic.

"And Citrine, how gem tech can be utilized to achieve the same thing?" Morion presented her with the whistle.

Citrine laughed and wiped her greasy hands on her shorts before grabbing it, "This!" She held it out to Garnet, who gave her a thumbs up, "Is a Warp Whistle!" She ran over to the warp pad and turned back to pose as she played the familiar tune.

Morion laughed and grabbed the phone with the recordings, quickly pulling up the correct one.

"And this is a phone, just like the ones you all have. Its not gem at all," Ri walked to the warp pad nervously and took a deep breath, stepping up onto the dais like all those times before. Morion turned back to see everyone's encouraging faces, their expectant eyes locked on as Ri hit the play button and vanished in a whoosh of light.

"They really did it," Pearl exclaimed, overjoyed, as the adults moved to the back of the room.

"They can do anything they set their minds on," Steven beamed proudly.

"Especially when they work together," Connie added as the warp stream activated again, filling the room with light and revealing Cairn in a graceful pose before lighting up again and depositing a flexing Citrine in a mirrored position, warp whistle dangling from her neck. The adults all leaned forward as the room lit up a third time. As the light faded Morion threw a handful of pink petals in the air and they rained down like confetti, the phone in Ri's other hand playing canned applause that was quickly drowned out by the chorus of genuine cheers and proud congratulations.

"Now _that's_ a presentation," Garnet smiled, ending the recording.

* * *

_PS:_

The phone lit up in the dark room, its owner looked over to read the screen.

A group message from Citrine with an audio attachment:

"_Hey guys, if u ever need to ~get away~ from it all, listen 2 this. ;;;;)"_

* * *

_**A/N:**_

This concludes the "Warp Whistle Arc"... as this was one of the first plot points I had ever fleshed out for this story, sorry if it got a little long and/or heavy on the dialogue, there were quite a few things I knew I wanted to cover before the end of the chapter. (And to think this all used to be part of the same chapter as _Off on the Wrong Note!_) Citrine and Morion will never be able to activate the warp pads on their own, but it stops being such a sore spot for their egos after this. They're growing up, and more ready to define their progress in terms of their own successes instead of worrying about how they compare to their father (or each other).

Its fun thinking about what the country looks like in Steven's universe. I Imagine the state of "Pacifica" (which is just speculation and a Gravity Falls reference on my part) comprises all or parts of what we know as Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia (because there's nothing in canon confirming the USA is even a thing so why not imagine Canada as part of the same country). With the gem totem pole we saw in Maximum Capacity, I Imagine the area used to be a fairly common warp destination for the Crystal Gems, and the history of Seattle's Pioneer Square (which really does have Underground Tours for the reason I used in the story) was too much fun to pass up.


	17. Upsie Gemsie!

_The trio go on a mission that might be a bit out of their reach..._

_Kids ages: 15/13/11_

* * *

"It's amazing these things can still float," Morion wondered, eyeing the approaching rock formations suspended in the sky.

"Well," Caingorm started as he forged ahead of his siblings, "you know what Gregpa always says, mag-"

"Magic is WEIRD, Man!" Citrine's booming impersonation-of-an-impersonation drowned out her brother, and Cairn looked back to glare at her. Morion and Citrine giggled as they caught up.

"Yeah, but imagine how powerful the Gems must have been who dislodged them," Morion continued as they reached the cliff top's edge and glanced down, "it was probably thousands of years ago, and they're floating cliffs."

Citrine shivered in the warm breeze, and took a hesitant step back, "I bet they weigh tons…"

Cairn spread his arms out wide, his shirttail and tie flapping in the updraft, "But they float around like clouds!"

Morion thought for a second, "hmmm… Clouffs."

"That's a good one!" Cairn smiled as he stepped a few feet over to the nearest one, then jumped easily to the next.

Morion followed at a slower pace, reaching back to grab Citrine's outstretched arm, "you okay?"

"Yeah," Citrine exhaled and then smiled to reassure herself and her youngest sibling, "I'll be fine as long as I don't look down!"

"Hurry up, you two!" Cairn took a few long strides back from the edge of the clouff before making a sprinting leap over to the next one, and continuing towards the largest formation.

The next few jumps were harder for the more stoutly built Universes. The physical challenge helped keep Citrine's focus off their ever-increasing height, but Morion grew ever more doubtful.

"I don't know if I can make that…" the path rose quickly above them.

"I can definitely toss you up there," Citrine shook out her arms and planted her feet as Morion sighed.

"Don't you think I'm getting too big for that?"

"Dad throws us all the time, all the Gems throw each other," she clapped and held her arms out toward Morion, "Come on! Upsie Gemsie!"

Citrine, though strong, was still only quarter-gem. Morion landed on the edge of the Clouff, and grasped desperately at the grass growing atop it, feet grasping for purchase on it's rocky side.

"Ahg, Citrine!"

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Citrine launched herself up to where Morion clung, sending the whole thing rocking. She grabbed Morion's arm and pulled, but it didn't budge, "this- ugh -stupid grass," She tugged, "Let go-umph!" They tumbled back and landed solidly in the middle of the bobbing clouff.

"I think…" Morion gasped between breaths, "We should… not… do that… again."

"Yeah, okay," Citrine sheepishly agreed, "I see your point. The next one's not as far."

Morion jumped and eyed the gap to the next level, crouching down and leaping, just as Citrine landed on the other end, catapulting Morion up to Cairn's level. "Well that's one way to catch up!" Cairn laughed as he took off again, leaving Morion shaking nervously.

"Ooof-" Citrine collided with the side of the clouff, sending it drifting forward as Morion scrambled to help her up the rocky face. "Meant to do that, see? Now we're getting clo-" she was cut off as she coughed up a cloud of dust, "ehem, er, closer."

"This is insane! We can't do this!" Morion exploded, gesturing to the floating rock formations that had suddenly lost their majestic appeal.

"What? Of course we can! Look at Cairn, he's already nearly there-"

"Fine!_ I!_ I can't do this! I can't run like Cairn, I'm not strong like you-"

"Ri, it's okay, it's okay! You don't need to be like us, you're you. You can do it, _your_ way."

"I don't _have_ a way…"

"What are you two blabbering about? Come on!" Cairn waited impatiently on the far side of the next clouff, bouncing from one foot to the other, eyeing their destination, looking for any sign of the treasure apparently hidden there for millennia.

"Well," Citrine wiped away Morion's tears, "you have us… I'll go first, that way I can catch you if you can't reach."

Cairn turned back in time to see Citrine hurtling towards him. In time to see her flailing wildly and falling far short of her target.

"Citrine!" He was at the edge in an instant, sure to see his dare-devil risk-loving sibling just beyond the precipice.

He could not comprehend the fact that she was not there.

"Citrine!" She must have fallen to the ground, but surely he would have seen her landing, maybe if he jumped now he could catch up to her, bubble them before they hit the ground?! Would that work? Morion would know if that would work, Cairn looked back up toward Morion, who kneeled at the opposite ledge, hand outstretched to him, face frozen in terrified shock. Cairn panicked, If Morion didn't know what to do, then… "Citrine! I'm coming!" He tried to stand but he felt like he was imploding, the seconds dragged on like hours, the minutes ticked by in the blink of an eye, he had to jump, he had to try, now, before-

"Cairn?"

He whirled around to where Citrine was pulling herself up over the far ledge. He launched himself at her as she threw the vine that had tangled itself around her back over her shoulder.

"Umph, hey, Cair-"

"How could you tease me like that!?" He shouted into her shoulder, face pressed hard against her, as if to hurt her, as if to reassure himself that she was there… torn between relief and anger.

"I wasn't teasing," Citrine wrapped her chlorophyll stained arms around her younger sibling, "I… I didn't do it on purpose."

"But you…" he sat back and looked her in the eyes, dumbfounded by the very possibility, "…you missed?""

"I guess I'm not as good a jumper as you, huh?" she smiled reassuringly and helped him back to his feet.

"I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have rushed you."

"You're bleeding."

"Oh, thanks," Citrine wiped her sweaty brow and slapped her bleeding arm before realizing-

"Morion!" The older siblings yelled in astounded unison.

"How did-"

"What on earth…"

Spanning the considerable distance between them and the previous rock, a tangle of vines and grass formed a rudimentary foot bridge.

"Its a rope bridge," Morion announced with equal parts pride and embarrassment, "…well vine bridge actually, I guess-"

"Phytokinesis!?" Cairn asked excitedly, remembering the stories of their grandmother's skill with plants.

"That's… new?" Citrine wondered, growing slightly suspicious.

"Maybe not… exactly… a hundred percent… super new?"

Citrine laughed wildly, picking up and spinning Morion around in glee. Cairn skipped out of the way and did his own delighted whirl.

"Morion!" Citrine sang out, "You did it! You found your way!" The three of them landed in the soft grass of the floating rock, a heap of happiness in the balmy summer day, lightyears away from the anguished history of the battlefield below. Morion excitedly started crafting the bridge to the next clouffs, and Citrine dutifully tested their strength before following the others across.

"What are you smiling about, Cairn?" Citrine teased lovingly.

"I'm just glad nobody has to jump anymore!"

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Feedback appreciated! I have a few ideas for these characters outlined, but feel free to leave suggestions! If you'd like to see my art of these characters check out my tumblr!_


	18. Strawberry Split

_Get the inside scoop on family Universe..._

_Kids Ages: 15/13/11_

* * *

Ears picking up the sudden change in sounds, Morion quickly saved the game and closed the app, slipping the phone into one of the many pockets of the cargo pants ri was wearing. Ri pushed back against the counter, straightening up and turning around right in time to avoid being hit by the neapolitan colored shutters as they swung open to reveal the two people inside.

"Ah! Family Universe!" Freddy greeted enthusiastically while Andy secured the shutters in their open positions, "First customers of the season!"

"Haha! Alright!" Steven cheered, punching a fist into the air as Citrine bounced excitedly on his shoulders. Steven made a move to get a better look at the display case, but was pulled back by Connie's finger in the beltloop on the back of his pants. At the same time, Citrine pressed the back of her legs against his chest, and he looked up to see her stocky arms braced against the signage mounted to the eave above the window, the swirly font proclaiming this "Andy &amp; Freddy's Frozen Treats" mere inches from her surprised face. "Oops, sorry Sunshine!" Steven stepped back.

"No harm, no frown!" Citrine laughed as Steven lifted her off his shoulders. The movement caught Cairn's eye from where he'd been pacing the boardwalk nearby, and he joined them at the counter, pulling earbuds from his ears.

"This makes it what, the fifth year running?" Freddy asked Steven as Andy chuckled and smiled at Citrine as she plastered her face against the spotless glass.

"Yup! Thanks to Garnet!"

"Hm?" The proprietors shared a confused look.

"Oh- we wouldn't miss it!" Connie tried to recover lamely as Steven smiled sheepishly.

"WooHoo! _I-scream_!" Citrine shouted, infectious excitement breaking the awkward silence, causing Morion to burst into semi-muffled giggles.

"Yeah, we wouldn't miss it!" Cairn added, wedging himself between his siblings at the counter to study the options.

"The usual for you, Steven?" Freddy asked him, already reaching for the special cones.

"Of course!"

Morion held up two fingers from the side of the counter, catching Freddy's attention.

"Two?" Freddy asked. Morion nodded. "Single or Double?"

"Just one scoop," Morion answered quietly.

Freddy winked and quickly dipped the three fruit-speckled pink scoops of ice cream into matching chocolate-lined waffle cones. Steven and Morion gladly took their signature treats and moved to make more room for Citrine and Cairn, who were pointing out their choices at the counter.

"And for you, Connie?" Andy asked as Connie carefully analyzed the selection of flavors. Besides a few classic staples for the regulars and unadventurous, the fresh bins sported Andy's more unique frosty concoctions in a rainbow of colors and unexpected textures. Connie's' eyes skimmed over flavors with cryptically labelled names likes _Jelly Shot, Crocodile Tears, Chicken-n-Waffles, Tuberone, Beluga Blues, Eucalyptus Snap_, and _Paddleball Fridays_ before she made her decision, "I'll take one scoop of _Razzle-Dazzle_ and one _Short-Stack Chimney Snack_ please."

"Coming right up!"

They sat at the benches along the side of the boardwalk eating their purchases, enjoying the spring day and each others company. The bright treats alerted passing citizens and a few pre-season visitors to the ice cream shop's opening. They chatted between bites about recent missions and the approaching end of the school year, watching as the line of people eager to try out the ever-changing menu items grew as word quickly spread around the town.

Connie licked her lips after finishing her first scoop, at Steven's inquisitive look she leaned in so only he could hear, "Raspberry Ice Cream with Blueberry Nerds."

"Sounds like something Garnet would like!"

Connie nodded and swallowed a bite of waffle cone, smiling behind her hand, "She recommended it!"

Steven nearly choked on his cone as he burst out laughing, "She didn't spoil it though did she?" Connie shook her head. Besides allergy &amp; dietary warnings, no descriptions- or spoilers as Andy called them- were ever given of the unusual flavors, and it was a general rule that nobody revealed the components of a concoction to someone before they had a chance to try it for themselves, "How's the… Short Stack Chimney Snack?"

Connie grinned and offered him a taste, already knowing he'd love it.

"Cherry Fireball…" he smacked his lips, tingling from the brick-red ice cream before going back for more, "and... Maple Syrup!?" the sweet ribbons ran like smokey veins through the scoop, "Mmmm, now that's good!"

"Yeah?" Connie smiled, pulling the hand with Steven's forgotten cone in it over to her and swirling away a bit of strawberry ice cream that was threatening to drip to the ground.

"How's your's Cit?" Morion asked her.

"I think it's a new favorite!"

Morion's eyes rolled, "That's what you _always _say!"

"Well, they're all so amazing, how am I supposed to choose?"

"You've gotta like one more than the others though, right? Even a little?"

"How would you know," Citrine teased, "have you ever even _tried _anything else?" She motioned toward Morion's melting cone with the stub that was left of her own.

"But I love strawberry!"

"Do you even eat the ice cream?" She bent over and licked up some that was dripping.

"The cone-!" Ri pulled it away from her, unable to hide a look of mild disgust, "-is the best part! And what's wrong with sticking with what I know I like?"

Citrine smiled and shrugged, "I guess Dad always gets strawberry, too."

Ri snorted, "Dad might be the one who always _orders _strawberry but he's not the only one who always eats it. Mom and he always share." Morion nodded toward their parents behind them who had swapped cones.

"Yeah but Mom always gets different flavors, just like me and Cairn."

"Mmmm, and how's that work for Cairn?" Ri countered knowingly.

They turned to Cairn, staring intently at his half-eaten scoop of _Cinna-Meringue-O-rang-Ado_, ear buds back in place. Cairn tried each of Andy's signature flavors, but had yet to dub a single one a favorite. Andy had taken it as a personal challenge to discover a flavor just perfect for Cairn, but so far he'd been unsuccessful.

At a lull between customers, Morion heard a deliberate throat clearing from behind the counter. A quick glance confirmed Andy was waiting anxiously for a sign that the cinnamony orange concoction with a suspicious green tint would be _the one_. Morion nudged Cairn with a booted toe and the whole family eagerly awaited the inevitable verdict.

"Its... _okay_."

"Awwwhg," Citrine groaned as everyone deflated.

"One day, Cairngorm! I'll find the flavor for you!" Andy vowed. Cairn accepted the promise solemnly and finished his cone, disheartened but not discouraged as the family continued down the boardwalk.

"Maybe I just don't like ice cream?" Cairn wondered as he walked between his siblings, Connie and Steven strolling hand-in-hand at a slower pace behind them.

"Why don't you try custard or somethin?" Morion suggested.

Cairn scrunched up his nose, "What... even is custard?"

"No idea," Citrine mumbled around the final mouth full of her cone, wiping her sticky hands against her shorts.

"What did _you_ get this time, Cit?" Cairn asked her, realizing he hadn't even noticed whatever crazy flavor she'd settled on today.

"Vanilla!"

"Vanilla?!" her siblings cried out in astonished unison.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thanks to Bauble and Mechafone for inspiring some of the wacky flavors!

Also, this whole chapter is supposed to be a sneaky allegory, not sure how well it came through lol

Next up should be _Counting Sheep_, which I might need to break into a few pieces, we'll see!


	19. Light Show

_After accidentally destroying Beach City's firework display, the Gems work together to provide a suitable replacement_.

_Kids Ages: 16/14/12_

* * *

"Universe!"

"Oh, sorry Mayor, we'll fix it!" Steven answered for the Crystal Gems as he swept an errant curl out of his flushed face and bubbled the troublesome gem.

"No we won't-" Garnet muttered as she turned to head back toward the temple.

"YES…" Steven caught her arm and pulled her back, "- _we will_." Pearl and Amethyst both stopped to see who would win this power of will… as Steven matured these small standoffs became more frequent and more likely to end in his favor.

With his best serious face, Steven stared her down. Garnet might be thousands of years older than him, a fusion of two powerful gems, and de facto leader of the Crystal Gems, but that didn't mean she didn't have to face the repercussions of her actions. In fact, she should know better than most that every decision comes with a consequence… and fixing the town's firework display that they'd just used to poof a gem monster (in spectacular fashion) was definitely a consequence they could all face _together_.

"Our show tonight is bringing tourists from all the neighboring towns..." The Mayor worried, picking up a sopping wet cardboard fragment that had recently been a firework shell, "Sour Cream spent weeks synchronizing it to his latest hit… not to mention how much we spent on Tourbillions. Those spinny fireworks won the people's choice vote by hundreds… we don't even have that many people living here." Steven laughed nervously and looked away, and Garnet was able to give him the slip-but she wasn't quite fast enough.

"Please Gem-ma Garnet, We _really _want to see the fireworks…" Citrine and her closest friends stood in a tight semi-circle in front of her, Sal and Afia's hands grasped tightly in hers as she held them under her chin and did her best puppy-eye. Morion and Sweet P stood a few feet back, studying the damage and Citrine's efforts, respectively.

"...uuuuh, I can't say no to those faces..."

Connie, Greg, and Pearl had called every firework dealer in Delmarva, only to be laughed off the line. A full fireworks display hours before the busiest night of the Season? Were they kidding?

Luckily, Morion had an idea. This was going to be the most unique display the tourists would ever see- though it might be a little _too _familiar to the Beach City residents...

"Okay Guys, these are the last of the 'boom' things from my room."

"Uh, how long have these been in the temple?," Connie asked Amethyst nervously as she joined the rest of the family near the lighthouse.

Amethyst shrugged, casually wiping a booger on the closest one before turning toward Pearl, "Opal Time!"

"Morion, don't touch those… in fact, Steven, could you...?" Connie pulled her youngest child back and spun her hand in a vague circling gesture at what appeared to be old military grade bombs. Steven's eyes widened and he quickly and carefully encased them in rose quartz bubbles.

"...and Garnet's on lightning duty," Citrine finished explaining Morion's plan to Cairn as the family waited for night to fall.

"What about you, Dad?" Cairn asked Steven.

Steven laughed, "What, you want me to throw my shield up in the air?"

Connie gasps, "Oh my gosh, Steven! I just had the best idea!"

"Huh?" He turned to see her eyes bright with excitement as her hands shook happily near her chin, "Oh! I think I know what you're thinking!" His smile grew as big as hers and the two of them quickly raced back down to the temple.

"Wooooah! What are those!?" Citrine was awed by the pink behemoths her father was pulling and carrying up the hill about an hour later.

"This is your grandmother Rose's Light Cannon!" Steven stroked the hull reverently as it landed with a solid thud on the grass, "Able to down a Red Eye in a single blast, she used them it to keep Earth safe from extraterrestrial threats-"

"But what about… THOSE?" Citrine interjected.

"This is the three-pack-" Steven joked.

"The Quartizine Trio," Connie corrected with a knowing smile, setting down a backpack load of sparklers and a single walkie-talkie.

"I thought WE were the Quartizine Trio?" Morion motioned to Citrine and Cairn.

"You named us after a pack of guns?" Cairngorm asked, affronted.

"There were three of you, you're all quartzes, and- uh, like them, you're strongest when you work together."

"Awww, thanks Dad," Citrine gave him a quick hug, but Morion was unconvinced.

"You just made that up didn't you?"

"You're too sharp for me," Steven laughed as he ruffled Ri's hair.

"How do they work?" Citrine queried, unusually inquisitive.

"First we need to get them into position." Connie chuckled, rolling the singlet on the base Greg and Pearl had fashioned for it years ago. They finished adjusting the four barrels and Connie whispered a few words to Steven before she felt a soft tug on her shirt.

"Shouldn't we put them farther away so they're not too loud for everyone?"

Connie smiled proudly at Morion as the two of them headed down to the beach with Cairn, "We would, sweetheart, if these were normal cannons, but these are _light _cannons," she winked reassuringly.

"Mayor says you're good to go!" Greg's staticy voice crackled from the old walkie-talkie.

"Everyone ready?!" Steven called out after conversing quietly with Citrine. He smiled over at Garnet, who was still doing her best to pretend she wasn't loving this. Opal nodded, summoning her weapons with a flourish and then fusing them, taking aim with the giant bow and arrow.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the cloudless summer sky, a few seconds later a gauntlet impacted with a bubbled explosive tossed high above the town, resulting in an impressive boom and a flash of pink light.

Then Opal fired, raining sparkling arrows down over the sea in a variety of increasingly intricate patterns. A few minutes later, Steven whispered to the singlet. The light cannon shot into the sky, pink and white light illuminating the beach to a chorus of _oohs _and _awws_.

Citrine was enthralled and almost didn't hear him calling out to her, "Okay Citrine, just like we practiced!"

Imitating her father's voice, she repeated the line his father had taught him, "If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs!"

The cannons fired together, light beams spiralling around each other and combining with the bright blue static bolts and golden arrows from Garnet and Opal. It was like they were flying through space amongst comets and stars and solar flares...

"Did you see it Dad!? That was awesome!" It was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen, power and beauty entwined...

"You did great, Sunshine!" Steven hugged her, breaking her reverie, "Go watch the show with your friends, the Gems and I'll take it from here."

She kissed him on the cheek, "You're the best, thanks Dad!"

Citrine ran down to where the townspeople and tourists had gathered on the beach, kicking off her sandals and settling between her friends and her mom and younger siblings. People ran around with sparklers and munched on hotdogs and icecream. They shook instruments, banged pots and pans and waved bells to add their own cacophony of music over Sour Cream's track as the light show continued.

Then the finale. Citrine, who rarely stayed up past sunset, was in awe of it all. The stars -far off suns- painted against the night sky, the sounds of gems and townsfolk alike, the pure power from the weapons being used for the sole purpose of making something so beautiful and inspiring that it makes people happy… she was so enraptured just experiencing it all, she wanted to be a part of it.

She raised her arm to the air, warmth spreading through her, from the base of her back and out to her limbs, suddenly a new light, like the warmth of the setting sun, spread out around her. Hand raised, she sent the feeling vaulting into the sky to join the light of her father and grandmothers. She closed her eyes, but she could see the light pulsing through her eyelids… through her.

It exploded in a shower of jangling sparks, hardly noticeable against the backdrop the other Gems' display. The end of the show was met with delighted laughter from the children nearby. Clapping and hoots of praise from the adults, thanking the Gems for making this the best light show ever.

"Citrine…."

She opened her eyes to see her mother's wide smile, Cairn focused on her hand, and Morion wide-eyed and staring. She turned to follow their gaze, and saw, still glowing, a cannon where her arm should have been. She turned her arm around, examining it. It was about the size of a t-shirt cannon, but clearly an imitation of the Light Cannons her father had showed her earlier. She wriggled her fingers but only saw the flaps at the open end of the barrel dilate and close. Flexing her elbow, she watched the cannon hinge on a pair of star-embossed armored plates.

"Sweet!" Afia exclaimed.

"Woah, is that a gem-weapon?" Sal asked excitedly, and Sweet P reached out touch it gingerly, torn between worry and wonder.

The ground around them shook as four thundering pairs of feet come rushing ominously toward them.

Suddenly a bubble formed around Citrine, knocking her friends and family away. The surprise making her release a shot that would have blasted towards them, instead the light explodes in the bubble, momentarily blinding her.

"Don't. Move." Garnet ordered.

"What is she doing!?" Amethyst yelled over the gasps and cries of the people.

Disoriented, Citrine felt against the inside of the bubble with her hand, "Dad?"

"Its okay, Citrine," came his muffled shaky voice, "just put it away, you're okay-"

Blinking, vision spottily returning, she saw rose-tinted Amethyst and Pearl unfused but with their weapons out, as if prepared for a fight against a weaker enemy.

"What are you… why did you bubble me!?" She cried out, hurt and humiliated.

"Steven, she had it under control," Connie's voice wavered as she placed herself between him and their children.

Steven winced, "It's just that, the first time can be a bit dangerous…"

"Let me out of here!" Citrine pounded on the inside bubble.

"She needs. to calm. down." Garnet ground out.

"I'm not a bad gem! Let me out, Dad! Daddy!"

"Steven-" Connie pleaded.

"I-"

"Aaahg!" Citrine closed her eyes tight and held her arm above her head, firing off another shot against the inside of the bubble, instantly filling the orb with light.

"Citrine!?" The gems yell in unison as she vanished from their view in the blinding light, fearing for the worse.

"STEVEN!" Frantic, Connie picked up a rock and started bashing against the outside of the bubble.

"ARRRGH!" With another pulse of light the bubble flew apart, shards flying out in every direction and poofing away before hitting the ground, revealing Citrine, a cannon in place of each raised arm above her head, glaring at Steven and the others through exhausted, tear-streaked eyes.

"Citrine," Connie groaned from the sand, hurt as the rock she'd been holding had flown back in the explosion and struck her above her eye.

"Mom!" The cannons disappeared like spent fireworks as Citrine rushed to help her mother, wiping her brow to gather the sweat there to heal her mother's brow.

Connie wrapped Citrine in her arms and looked over to Cairn, who released the bubble he had thrown up around Morion, himself, and their friends.

"Citrine?" Garnet and Steven approached cautiously as Amethyst and Pearl hung back behind them.

"Why'd you bubble me?" Citrine stared at Steven, hurt, confused, humiliated, trembling as she refused to succumb to tears in front of her friends and heroes.

He looked back at her, torn. "I-"

Garnet put her hand on Steven's shoulder, "I told him he had to."

With a single phrase the stress dissipated, Connie loosened her hold on Citrine as her eyes shot to Steven's and found them full of contrition.

"You...?" Citrine wiped her face, "Why?"

Garnet crouched down next to her and dissolved her visor, revealing three tear-streaked eyes of her own, "Someone was going to get... hurt," her eyes slid to the small group of teenagers intently focused on their conversation.

"Someone _did _get hurt," Citrine countered, looking over her shoulder at her mother.

Garnet sighed, "That is correct. Connie? I apologize," Connie nodded, realizing where their intervention had veered and silently guessing the outcome Garnet had seen, "Citrine?" Garnet continued, "I know you would never hurt anyone on purpose, but-"

Steven plopped down beside them, pulling Connie and Citrine into his lap, "But when _I_ first summoned _my _weapon, I did some major damage, and I just have a shield."

"Cannons are very powerful," Pearl supplied, breaking her silence, "but not so much predictable, and as you just saw…"

"It went off when you startled me…er, when I was startled."

Garnet nodded once and placed her hand on Citrine's shoulder, "Now that you know what your weapon is, you'll need extensive training in order to be able to master it."

"Like Mom and Dad!" Citrine smiled, already eager to start, "Wait, 'now that _I_ know?' Did you know I was going to have a weapon? Why didn't you tell me!?"

"We can feel the energy pulsing through you, but the form had not solidified."

"What about us?" Morion queried from behind Cairn.

"Yeah, do we _pulse _too?"

Garnet stood and flicked her visor back on before looking back down at the youngest Universes.

"Yes."

* * *

_AN: Who's ready for Steven Bomb Pt 2?! I got a few chapters written before it was announced, and was hesitant to post them in case the canon kinda blows them to bits [haha punny], but eh, it happens. I'm trying to keep things generic enough that they shouldn't be effected to badly, fingers crossed! _

_ALSO, the next chapters that I'll be updating (tomorrow?) "Parry Parry" and "Thrust" will have some slight blood in them, so I think I'll have to change the rating of this fic. _

_Thanks again to mechafone for proofing! For everyone who's faved and followed! If you have suggestions for what you'd like to see let me know, I'll try to include as many ideas as I can! _


	20. Early Worm (Rest for the Werey: Part 1)

**Rest for the Werey**

A full house can be a blessing and a curse as Morion searches for answers after a slew of restless nights.

_Kids Ages: 16.5/14.5/12.5_

**Part 1: Early Worm**

It's just not Ri's morning...

* * *

Pre-dawn light trickled into the kitchen where the youngest Universe sat at the counter, pushing soggy cereal around in a chipped pink bowl. Surreal images danced behind Morion's tired eyes. The fantastic scenes clashed and slowly overwhelmed the banal sight of ri's father preparing sack lunches on the counter next to the sink.

Steven whipped around at the sound of a sudden splash and the ringing chime of spinning porcelain. He grabbed the bowl but the damage was done; wet cereal stuck to milk-soaked curls and clothes as luke-warm milk bloomed across the counter, dripping into the tween's lap. Steven's eyes met Morion's and found them worrisome. "You okay, kiddo?"

"...Yeah," Morion answered sheepishly, snapping out of the startled daze and scooping some of the mess back into the bowl.

"Did you not sleep well last night?" Steven asked, concerned, wetting a paper towel and handing it over.

Ri wiped up the milk threatening to spill over the edge. "I…" ri sighed and dropped the rag into the bowl, "I keep having these… weird dreams."

Steven paused from cleaning up the mess, alert, thinking back… _How old was I when…_ He set the bowl in the sink before questioning with a seriousness that caught Morion off guard, "Weird like what? Did you... talk to anyone? Did anybody say anything to you?"

Ri sat back, a bit surprised by the sudden pointed interest, "...No? Like, uh... Last night I had one where I was in this cave and I couldn't find my way out, but… all the rocks were soft and fuzzy and they kinda glowed? Like, I could see everything fine even though it was dark?"

_Fuzzy rocks?_ Steven pondered, nodding encouragingly.

"And the night before that I dreamed the whole world was upside down, everything was like, glued to the ceiling? And I kept hearing these weird noises… I can't even describe them, it was like I was feeling them or maybe _seeing_ them?"

That sounded like normal dream stuff to Steven. "But you didn't talk to anybody?"

"There wasn't anybody to talk to," ri shrugged and yawned. The house was waking up as the sun started to rise. Morion heard Connie exit the master bedroom, and log onto the main computer in the loft office. Aukuri's nonsensical chirps seeped through the ceiling, and the soft chatter of the Gems filtered through the temple door. But Steven didn't seem to notice, focused intently on what Morion was telling him.

Steven frowned, one worry set aside for the the sake of another. "Are you always... alone in your dreams?"

Morion frowned. _What's with the third degree Dr. Dad?_ "No… not until recently."

Steven relaxed a bit, "Well, do you remember what happens? Is there something you're trying to do? Maybe it relates to some obstacle or some problem that you're dealing with during the day?"

Ri's nose scrunched up. "No, that's the thing. Nothing really happens, even when I was trapped in the cave… It wasn't like there was anything coming after me, or anything dangerous happening. It wasn't scary... I was just kinda there and I don't know why?"

"Hmm…"

"I wish I could figure out how to make it stop; it's getting exhausting."

Steven leaned over and planted a wet kiss on Morion's forehead. "What helps me sleep, is removing distractions," Steven suggested with a smile, "But for now, you should go get cleaned up before you start to sour."

Ri giggled and slipped down from the stool, pulling the sticky t-shirt away from where it clung against chilled skin.

"You could try reading a book!" Connie called out from the loft.

Steven laughed as he headed up the stairs, taking the steps two and three at a time. "Are you kidding? _You_ lose more sleep caught up in a good story than you do anything el-"

Morion heard the desk chair roll back on the hardwood floor as Steven's words abruptly cut off. Ri waited a beat for Steven to finish his sentence before looking up and realizing both parents' mouths were otherwise occupied.

Face reddening slightly at the albeit common sight, Morion quickly headed down the hallway to grab a dry change of clothes from the bedroom closet. Back out into the hall, and the bathroom door that had stood open not 30 seconds ago was shut and locked- _Cairn_.

Ri returned to the living room, looking back up at the loft where only Connie remained. "Mom, can I use your shower?"

"Sorry Sweetheart, your dad just went in there… I'll tell him to hurry-"

Connie swivelled but Morion waved her off, "No it's okay: I'll just use Gemma Ame's room."

With a familiar knock the purple portal opened, admitting Morion into the vast, cluttered chamber. Finding a secluded puddle a ways from the door, Morion removed the soiled clothes and sank into the comforting water. Ri was careful to avoid the bottle caps and other hazards that littered the bottom of the puddle among spare coins, marbles, sea glass, and pebbles.

The water in Pearl's room was cleaner for sure, but the wide open spaces and transparent bowls didn't do much for anyone who prefered to not put on a show. An added reward for risking minor cuts and bruises in Ame's pools was that the heat from the rooms below warmed the water here to the perfect temperature to lull a sleepy part-gem into fitful slumber.

At the tap of a worried finger against mor forehead, ri awakened with a start for the third time that morning, flailing in the deeper than expected water.

"Oh! Hello Morion!" Pearl announced from where she stood on the puddle, leaning over Morion.

Frowning, ri shielded mor body with an arm and a long veil of thick silky hair, "Uh…"

"_P_," Amethyst whined from the opposite shore, snaking out a shifted arm and pulling Pearl away, "Give 'or a little privacy!?"

The two Gems waited out of sight on the other side of a carefully balanced stack of kitchen appliances as Morion dried off and dressed in the clean clothes behind the door of an old refrigerator. When Ri joined them a few minutes later, Pearl took the dirty clothes and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry for startling you."

"It's fine… it's just been a crazy morning."

"Eh, what's up, Fuzz Ball?" Amethyst asked from where she lounged on a pillar of odds and ends.

"Gemma Amethyst?" Morion started, picking up an empty perfume bottle that rolled off the pile when Amethyst moved, turning it over and tossing it from hand to hand. "...Do you, maybe, have any suggestions for sleeping?"

"Oh yeah, that's easy! Just have something you really don't want to do. Like… if you need to clean your room? Just avoid cleaning your room by going to sleep instead!" Encouraged by Morion's giggle fit, Amethyst continued, "This one time, I was supposed to bubble a poofed gem, but instead, I took a nap."

Catching Pearl's expression, Ri grinned, "How'd that go?"

"Great! Some of the best sleep I ever got!"

Chuckling, Morion shook mor head: not the most helpful advice, but Gemma Ame was always good for a laugh.

"If you're having trouble sleeping," Pearl cut in worriedly, "You could try some calming tea. I think a blend of-"

"Rion?" came Steven's muffled calls, "You still in there? You're gonna be late for school!" Amethyst summoned the door by their side and ruffled Rion's curls affectionately.

"Yeah, I think I'll try that tonight, thank you, uh... both!"

* * *

**A/N:**

I guess you could call my family pessimistic, because I always grew up hearing a quick rejoiner to anyone who threw out the "Early bird gets the worm!" Idiom... which was "And the early worm gets eaten!" Our way of saying that early adopters or over-eager beavers are just as likely to get the short end of the stick as they are any benefit from all their extra effort. So that's where the title for this part came from: Rion's up early but it does not turn out well.

This arc has been a long time coming, look for _Part 2: Fish nor Fowl_ tomorrow.


	21. Fish Nor Fowl (Rest: Part 2)

**Rest for the Werey**

A full house can be a blessing and a curse as Morion searches for answers after a slew of restless nights.

_Kids Ages: 16.5/14.5/12.5_

**Part 2 : Fish Nor Fowl**

_Humans and Gems... it's still some pretty new territory._

* * *

Upon returning home from school, Morion was already sluggish. Ri had stayed late with Thema for a student government meeting. You wouldn't think a Pre-K-through-Twelve school with only a few dozen students would need a student government (and you'd be right), but Thema had seen to the creation of one to add to her resume, as if there wasn't enough to recommend her already. Typically their meetings didn't last long, but Citrine and Cairn had been in a rush to get home today and had headed off right after school instead of waiting for Ri to finish. So Morion had made the walk across town on mor own and at a much slower pace than usual, owing both to the absence of fleet-footed Cairn and Morion's own recent unshakable tiredness.

"Hellooo?" Morion called out upon entering the quieter than expected house.

"Hey, how was your day Rion?" Connie was in the kitchen cutting up some fruit slices for their after-school snack.

Morion shrugged, "Where are Cit and Cairn?" and then spotting the two extra backpacks on the floor, "...and Sal and Afia?"

"They were headed to the Sea Dome, want to take these to them?"

"Sure."

"Thanks Sweetheart... You okay?"

Rion nodded and dropped the faded burger-shaped backpack over the back of a dining room chair and carried the tray of fruit and water bottles to the dais at the back of the room. Using voice commands, Morion played the recording on the phone to activate the warp stream to the underwater facility.

* * *

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are we doing this!?" Sal called out from the sea of dumped sports balls of every shape and size.

"Gemma Garnet says I need to work on my _Agility_," Citrine answered as one of the red dodge balls they'd borrowed from the school hit her on the side of the head, barely phasing her, "_Gem attacks,"_ she said in a worthy imitation of the fusion's accented voice, "_pack a powerful punch- you could get seriously hurt if you just stand there and let them hit you."_

"That's not what she said," Cairngorm shook his head from a few feet away, easily side-stepping the basketball that bounded his way.

"Eh, something about dodging, whatever, close enough," Citrine shrugged.

"Dodge this!" Afia warned, sending a series of lined up soccer balls flying toward the two Universes in rapid succession.

Cairn dodged one of the balls with a twisting step and batted away the next with a wooden training sword. Jumping out of the way of the first aimed at her, Citrine inadvertently stepped into the path of the next ball, and it bounced forcibly off of her shoulder. Citrine forwent her own training sword in favor of kicking the next one back with her foot.

"Citrine!" Cairn scolded, "That's _**not **__dodging_!"

* * *

The Sea Dome's warp pad was in the center of a large yellow-tinted glass dome. It had thick golden support ribs sprouting from around its circular floor at regular intervals that met at a ring centered over the dias that Morion stood on now. From this vantage point, the ribs and ring looked like spokes of a giant wheel, and twisting slightly while looking up gave the illusion that the whole room was revolving around you.

Suspended between the ribs were egg-shaped entry pods, reminding Morion of the sides of the strawberry pots in the Garden. They were like little balconies of water, open to air above on the dome side and water below on the dome's exterior. Thick rims long coated in salt deposits and barnacles prevented spillage from the water displaced when you crawled into one, making each pod function like the S-bend of a toilet. The thought that there would have ever been enough Gems entering the facility at once to require so many doors in addition to the warp pad still awed Morion, and yet paled in comparison to the incomprehensible seating capacity that the Arena was clearly built for. All those gems would have been lost- shattered in the ensuing war, or else corrupted and left to roam the earth until the Crystal Gems bubbled them.

How many of the gems in their basement had seen this place first hand, filled to the brim with their friends as they watched... whatever it was that had entertained civilized Gems so?

Morion had named this room the Landing Dome. It was one of four large domes that flanked the great Arena Dome in the center of the complex.

There, through the large arch straight ahead, ri could hear the familiar voices of the teens echoing in the vast main chamber… and yet Morion hesitated to join them.

The Landing Dome sat opposite Morion's favorite room, and by the sound of it, the others wouldn't even notice a delay. These outer domes were connected by a series of irregular smaller domes, which would have acted as a concourse during the events that took place here. Morion headed right, toward the second-largest opening in the wall. The vast majority of these linked antechambers were full of benches clustered into intimate seating arrangements. Their centers were left wide open to facilitate movement of crowds between them, and the glass above their low ceilings was tinted dark or encrusted in organic patterns of the sea life from above.

However, a few, like the one Morion passed through now, had clearly been altered fairly recently. Darker spots on the smooth floors belied the locations and sizes of the cases that would have stood here for millennia while the surrounding floor was subtly bleached by the sunlight filtering down from the surface above. The kids figured they would have held trophies or other memorabilia, but Ri wasn't sure why their gemmas would have gone through the trouble of removing something so innocuous. The fine powder of shimmering dust coating the floor was best left undisturbed though, and Morion quickly moved on to enter the second-best room of the complex.

This brightly lit dome was held up by irregular tendrils of dark-green supports that branched out and entwined amongst the panels of pink-tinted glass. The circular pool in the center had long been dry, but liquid there would have once reflected sparkling light back onto whoever stood at the raised triangular dais in its center, at the very heart of the room. The benches here were not arranged in tight groupings, but rather in long arching rows that were slightly askew: turning a pattern that could have been concentric and orderly into something suggestive of lively and organic tendencies, reigned back and toned down to the point that the lack of perfectly parallel lines could be construed as accidental by anyone not willing to look at them too closely.

But this room was a sterile imitation of the real thing, and they called it the Fountain Dome not because of any functioning water works, but because of its notable similarity to the fountain at the Garden.

Tray still in hand, Morion took a moment to glance out of the large archway on the left, only to see the four teens gathering scattered sport balls. Cairn and Afia seemed to be doing the most work, while Citrine and Sal had gotten side-tracked and appeared to be trying to lob the balls at each other's heads under the guise of throwing them _very poorly_ back to the pile.

"Halfway..." Morion muttered, and forged on through the pointed arch that led to more antechambers. Another emptied room, more lounges, a shrine, and finally to the Bunt Dome.

This room was named after it's shape: the glass walls of the dome curved back into a funnel at the center of the room, which dove into an open pool of seawater. The deep blue tint of the glass, and the smell of the water would have been sufficient to create the illusion that anyone walking here was walking through water. But the effect was further heightened by the large coral and seaweed that decorated the space and the glass bottom of this dome through which the sea floor was visible a few dozen yards below. There was a water-filled tube tunnel that led from the open pool to the Arena, where the retractable floor could be opened over a large basin of salt water. The corals reminded Morion of the rose moss around Beach City, a fascinating mixture of magic and organic life.

Today, movement near the bottom of the funnel alerted Morion to the presence of a more benign life form. A hermit crab struggled to escape back up the smooth glass wall in a bid to return to the rest of the ocean. Morion sat the tray down and stuck a hand in the frigid water, carefully checking that the creature hadn't been damaged, and carried it over to the side of the pool thick with seaweed.

"If you want to leave so bad, the least I can do is help, huh?" Morion's hands relaxed as the seaweed twisted and grew, entwining around Ri's arms and carrying the little crustacean up and up and up the funnel, over the round ridge, so that its slide down the side of the dome would deposit it in the soft sand below.

This feature had clearly not been designed with marine safety in mind. Creatures were constantly getting lost and stuck here. Morion was glad for making the detour, but the others would be getting thirsty with all their exertion. Ri pulled shivering arms out of the water and dried them with the long hem of mor t-shirt before picking up the the tray and following the path of the underwater tunnel out into the largest room: the Arena Dome.

Large, faded banners hung from four of the eight massive arches that supported the clear glass of the cavernous dome, high above the concentric rings of steps that formed seating for thousands of spectators. Down the aisle of steps Morion went, careful not to topple any of the tray's contents, even when a tennis ball flew by scant inches from Morion's head.

* * *

"Cairn!" Citrine shouted as the rubber exercise ball he so effortlessly dodged careened into her, "Uhg," she groaned from a heap on the stone floor, "how'd you get your legs to _do_ that!?"

"Keep your stance wide." Cairn intoned academically as he helped her up. He demonstrated the basic stance himself, and prompted her to try and mimic it. Shaking his head, he used the wooden sword to push Citrine's leg into a more suitable position, "Keep your body lowered… like so. Remember: balance is key." Without warning he pushed against her hip, and she was able to shift her balance to the other leg without toppling over.

She smiled enthusiastically before cracking a joke, "_I dunno_, it looked different when you did it!"

"Ha-ha. You hardly need to use your leg as a counterbalance when you've got all that mass centered-" as a tennis ball flew towards him, he shifted and swiped at it with the sword, sending it flying back toward Sal and Afia, but not near enough that it might hit either of them.

"If anyone else tried to say that to me, Cairn!" Citrine laughed, twisting out the way of a volleyball when her first instinct told her to kick it back. He was right though, it was easier to keep her balance like this. _What was it he'd said? _Citrine started humming then singing, weaving his words into a ditty so she could remember it for later.

"Are you paying attention?"

She paused for a second to reply, "Of course!" before continuing her singing.

"Do you have to do that?"

"I'm doing what you told me…"

"Yeah, no, I meant the song?"

"Oh…" Citrine took a moment to glance at him, confused. _Since when did Cairn have a problem with singing? _"Singing helps me remember things better. Gregpa taught me how when I kept failing my spelling tests. It helps me focus... like you with that shaky leg," She swept her training sword toward his tapping foot.

He blocked her sword with his own. "It's called a mnemonic but that's not what I meant…" Cairn was long used to people breaking out into song at the drop of a hat. "I meant... that's not how it goes." Citrine shot him a confused look and he suddenly realized she might not have ever heard the song he had thought she'd been butchering, "Here's how mom and Pearl taught it to me-" He sang the verses of the old training song as they'd first been sung to him over six years ago. After a few rounds Citrine's got it, and they harmonized and embellished the classic as they dodged and deflected the barrage of balls.

* * *

"What about you, Rion?" Afia asked as Morion joined the two teens and set down the tray on the bottom row, apparently having arrived in the middle of a conversation.

"Yeah, you gonna start singing, too?" Sal jokingly threatened, a frisbee raised like a shield to protect his ears from the very thought.

"I don't sing." Ri was positive the carefully neutral line had been delivered without any trace of bitterness, but something must have betrayed the sentiment anyway, as Afia quickly offered mor a ball and a mischievous grin.

"Well then help us throw!"

With a startled chortle, Rion nodded and took the offered dodge ball. Ri tested its weight and pressure before dropping it to the ground and catching it with a toe. With a swift kick, the ball joined Sal's and Afia's as they sailed toward Citrine and Cairn. They made fast work of the remaining ammo, and when all the various balls and discs lay scattered across the Arena floor, the five of them gathered around the snack tray.

Quickly devouring her portion of oranges, Citrine turned to her youngest sibling, who had yet to finish off a single slice. But the look on mor face made Citrine forget her request for any unwanted leftovers, "You look beat, Rion."

"Hmm? Oh… I haven't been sleeping well." Morion admitted, before asking them all for suggestions on how to get a good night's sleep.

"Wear yourself out!" Afia lifted up one of the empty mesh bags and motioned to the center of the arena, indicating they'd have to pick all these balls up soon.

Citrine laughed apologetically; she'd never had a problem sleeping… just staying awake.

"Try some ambient noise?" was Sal's suggestion, "Maybe Cit's _snores _are keeping you up?"

"I don't snore!" Citrine playfully pushed him and he laughed and stumbled off to start rolling balls back toward the bags. Citrine wanted to help Ri though, and thought on it for another moment, _What helps _me_ sleep?_ "Maybe you could try making it darker in your room?"

Rion nodded and turned to Cairn, who just shrugged. He slept even less often than Amethyst. "You might be asking the wrong people. Why don't you try getting advice from someone more… human?"

"And what are we?" Afia let out a sharp laugh, "Chopped liver?!" The ball she chunked toward them beamed Cairn in the head- the first hit anyone'd landed on him all afternoon.

* * *

Morion left them to finish gathering the balls, instead warping back to the house alone. The sun would be setting soon, _still plenty of time..._ but nobody was in the living room. Putting the tray back in its spot, Rion opened the fridge and grabbed a packet from the freezer. Eyeing it hesitantly, Morion's gem-studded tongue licked mor lips, and ri reached back up and grabbed a second one before heading outside and down to the den under the house.

* * *

**A/N:**

Steven probably fumes at the fact they still make _Lion Lickers_... and is probably even more appalled at the thought that the kids actually like them.

The return of Thema, Afia, and Sal... introduced in _Practice Makes Progress_, and reappearing again here and there. Was going to write more about Thema and how she created a Student Government and then ran for President unopposed but instead Mechafone got me started off on creating new places... and I went a little over board with the Sea Dome. There's some preliminary sketches of the different domes on my tumblr if you want to check it out. (quartizinetriofic)

Thanks to Mechafone and Benevoson for proof reading! 2 down 1 to go! Look for _Counting Sheep_ tomorrow!


	22. Counting Sheep (Rest: Part 3)

**Rest for the Werey**

A full house can be a blessing and a curse as Morion searches for answers after a slew of restless nights.

_Kids Ages: 16.5/14.5/12.5_

**Part 3 : Counting Sheep**

_Everything starts adding up._

* * *

"You could always try counting sheep," the retired doctor, Morion's grandmother, offered simply as ri sat across from her in the condo she shared with Grandfather.

"That's… really a thing? I just thought that was like a joke? Like love at first sight, and quicksand, and cliques?"

She shook her head and refocused the youngster, "The important thing isn't the _sheep _per se, just distracting your mind with something simple. Breathe calmly as you do, and imagine them doing something repetitive. Counting them as they... jump over a fence, for example, keeps your mind focused yet relaxed enough for your body to shift into sleep."

Morion nodded and sleepily covered a big yawn.

"Now, you and Lion head straight home and get a good night's rest… and let me know in the morning if you're still not sleeping well." She stood and rubbed the spot between the great cat's ears that caused him to purr and lean into her.

"Okay, thanks Doc!" Rion led the way to the front door and pulled out the two partially melted packets of shaped ice cream, the crinkling of the wrappers enticement enough to draw Lion out of the house.

"One for you," Ri tossed the sticky treat into Lion's mouth and crawled onto his back, "and one for-" With a roar and a quick leap through space, they returned to the beach house, the smell of the smoked salmon Steven was preparing for dinner strong on the ocean breeze. Morion slid off Lion and eyed the ice cream, contemplating.

"It'd be wasteful to throw it away, and I can't exactly put it back in the freezer... Mom and Dad wouldn't be happy if I ate this and not dinner; Cairn wouldn't do it. Citrine would, and Dad probably would too, if it wasn't a Li-" Lion nudged the hand holding the dripping treat, and looked deep into Morion's eyes before slowly blinking. Ri's shoulders fell and ri offered him a relaxed smile, "Well, if _you _want to eat it… Here you go, buddy."

"Rion!" Citrine called out as she leaned over the wooden-rail balustrade of the deck above, glad she barely had to leave the doorway to complete her task. "Come on, it's time to eat!"

* * *

After their family dinner, Morion changed into a comfy old night gown and prepared a mug of one of Pearl's teas: a lavender blend with a generous dollop of extra honey. Ri said goodnight and carried the drink to the back bedroom. Ri made sure the blinds and curtains were drawn and turned on a fan for noise, tucked morself in... and tried the whole sheep thing.

"One, two, three, four…"

It seemed to work, as time warped in the way that it does in sleep and dreams.

Morion watched the herd of sheep jumping a simple wooden-rail fence. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen. Little balls of lightly colored fluff, like the clouds in the twilight sky. The thinly-shrouded stars were twinkling, pulsing, breathing. Nineteen, twenty. The slowly blinking eyes of Leo locked onto Morion, and the constellation stepped through the russet clouds. Twenty-four. Though the sheep seemed unconcerned, Ri worried about them in the presence of the predator, but with a gentle nudge of the Lion's pink nose, the fear dissipated. Twenty-nine. The sheep on the other side of the fence froliced and played, racing back and forth across the white-lined field, bleating in joyful harmonies. Thirty-three. And there was only one sheep on this side of the fence, and with unsteady cloven hooves, they moved forward.

To join, to run.

Confidence growing with every stride, Ri raced forward and sailed over the fence.

Thirty-four.

And through the portal of Lion's roar.

When Morion landed, there was only one sheep, whose wool was nearly as dark as the full night sky. But the sheep was not alone. Lion waded through the tall grass and came to rest nearby, looking down at the little lamb that could barely see over the flowers and tall grass. Lion blinked slowly, and led the way to the top of the hill.

Rion followed the cat's footsteps in the turned-down grass, bumping into a pink rump when Lion collapsed into a comfortable heap and turned his eyes to the cloudless starry sky. With the sound of their walking ceased, the night came alive. Morion curled up in Lion's mane and turned to see the sea of stars above the twinkling lights of the sleepy town below.

A shimmer caught their eyes, and they watched as a falling star shot across the sky. One. And then more. Two, three, four… and they counted falling stars until Morion sunk into a deep, blissful, dreamless slumber, soothed by the humming lullaby of nocturnal critters.

* * *

Citrine scrunched up her nose and pressed her face deeper into the pillow. It was too early for all the racket everyone was making. Heavy steps thudded up and down the hallway outside her door, and raised voices gave way to thunderous shouts.

"Cairn! Citrine!" The frantic tone of her mother's voice kicked up her adrenaline and she bolted upright as her bedroom door flew open, "Where's Rion!?"

"Huh?" Citrine asked groggily, rubbing at her eyes.

Connie waved the pajamas she'd found in Ri's bed behind her as she slid open the mirrored doors of Citrine's closet. "Have you seen Rion? Did you hear anything last night?" Citrine shook her head, eyes growing round as she was overcome with the infectious panic that permeated the house. At the sound of the warp stream sounding, Connie raced back out to the living room, Citrine close at her heels.

Citrine emerged from the hall to find chaos in their sanctuary.

Garnet sat on the couch, legs crossed and hands pressed to her temples. Deep in an alluvial vision, everyone knew better than to disturb her.

"Rion's phone is still on the nightstand, so ri couldn't have warped, but Amethyst is checking anyway," Cairn said from behind Citrine, having been searching Morion's room for any clue of where ri could have disappeared to.

Pearl paced the living room, hands shaking and repositioning around her shoulders every few seconds before she rushed out of the front door in a blur, "Ri can't have gotten far! I'm going to search around town!"

At the back of the room, Amethyst was shaking her head at Connie. "I went _there _first- yes I'm sure! _Ehrg!_ I'm gonna go check the tide pools!" She raced out of the house and Citrine followed, dazed, but determined to help.

Connie jerkily walked back to where Cairn stood, and they both jumped when the french doors to the master bedroom burst open, Steven's worry overcoming the usual restraint on his strength.

"I couldn't find mor, maybe Ri's not be asleep, I- I'm sorry, I thought for sure I'd be able to make contact-"

He sat on the edge of the loft and eyed Garnet hopefully. Connie put the hand that wasn't twisted up in Rion's pajamas on his knee, "It's not your fault, Steven. If Ri's awake-" Her thought was cut short as Cairn pushed past her back into the hallway, emerging a few seconds later with Rion's phone. "What are you doing?"

"Calling Gregpa and Grandmother and Grandfather," Cairn answered sternly, pulling up the former in the list of Ri's contacts.

"Has anyone seen Lion?" Citrine called from the doorway.

"I haven't seen him recently," Steven answered dejectedly. It wasn't unusual for Lion to be off doing his own thing, and though he had a knack for showing up when he was most needed, there was no way to know for sure when he would come and go.

"He was _here _last night," Citrine insisted as her brother spoke over her.

"Gregpa hasn't seen mor, but he's going to go out and look. I'm calling Grandmother," Cairn updated.

"Good idea," Steven praised, pulling out his own phone, "We should notify-"

"Lion might be-"

"_Citrine_," Connie cut in, raw, consuming fear sharpening her words. "Lion can take care of himself! Right now we need to figure out what happened to Ri-"

"Grandmother? It's Cairn-"

"Hello Mayor-"

"Mom!" Citrine shouted in her best imitation of Ri's voice, instantly silencing the room and getting everyone's attention, "What if they're together?"

Steven grabbed Connie as her knees went weak and all the color drained from her face, "...They could be anywhere..."

"But Lion wouldn't let _anything _happen to Mori."

"_Hello? Cairngorm? Why are you on Ri's phone?"_

"Oh! Grandmother!" Cairn replied into the phone he had forgotten about.

"_Yes, Cairngorm, what's going on, is everyone alright_?"

"No. Morion's missing."

"_What do you mean Ri's missing!? No dear_, _Morion_," she said aside to someone out of Cairn's earshot, likely Grandfather. "_Cairngorm said Morion is missing… let me ask. When was the last time you saw mor?_"

Cairn repeated the question to Connie and Steven, before translating and relaying their piecemeal answers back across the phone. "Last night before bed, ri made some tea, Mom and Dad were in the office and ri said good night even though it was still early."

"_Oh yes, Morion had mentioned having trouble sleeping when we talked yesterday…_"

"Well, what did you tell mor?"

* * *

Morion had awakened with a snort by Lion, the sun streaming down on them.

"Oh hey, what do you know, that sheep thing really-" ri stretched, revealing little hooves where hands should have been, "Ahhh!" Morion stood up- well... sorta. Ri was on all fours. A butterfly landed on Morion's ear and ri flicked it away with a twitch of long, fuzzy brown ears. Still in disbelief, ri shook a wooly deep brown tail… _oh no_.

Lion flicked his own tail in response, with content eyes and a twitch of his nose. He looked away to snap at the butterfly, but missed. Lion crouched down and pounced after it, all power and grace.

"Ya know, actually…" Morion reconsidered, testing the spring of the four little spindly legs. With a bounce and a series of happy kicks, ri frolicked like a baby goat, energized by the best night of sleep ri'd had in weeks. "Yes! Hahaha!" Ri jumped over flowers wet with morning dew and skipped between Lion's legs, who had given up on chasing the colorful insect. "Hey wait," Morion looked around, "…where are we? How'd I get... _Lion_!"

The cat's eyes widened guiltily at the reproachful tone.

"Come on, we gotta go home!" Everyone would be up by now, "They're gonna wonder where we are." Ri tried to climb up onto Lion, but it was even harder than usual with their increased size difference. Instead, ri manipulated the tall grass into a pillar, lifting morself up onto Lion's back. Unfazed, Lion ambled around sniffing at stray blossoms. "Aw Lion, do the thing!" He ignored mor. "...You know how Mom gets-" Lion instantly jolted forward, sending Morion flying off his back, little lamb legs flailing.

"No, wait!" Ri chased after him, bulky wool receding and little legs growing longer, until ri's a white-tailed deer bounding after Lion, and then coming abreast, exhilarated grin wide. Lion fired off a warp, and they sailed through the portal together.

* * *

"Ahhhh!" The deer form stumbled with the abrupt change in terrain, tumbling down the sandy embankment, hoof over tail. Curling into a tight ball, a small armoured pangolin took its place, rolling swift and smooth until colliding abruptly with Amethyst's feet.

A gem-studded tongue flicked out, but Amethyst would have recognized the Gem's resonance in any form. "Whoa, Morion, nice landing!"

"Morion!" The family converged from their various searches around the beach house. Steven abruptly ended his frantic phone conversation and Cairn leaped down from his look-out on the laundry room.

Citrine watched from a few yards away as Amethyst and Connie smothered Morion in their arms, ri's small shapeshifted form completely disappearing from view amid the cloud of their mother's and gemma's hair. Knowing Morion, ri'd be dying from embarrassment at all the attention.

Lion padded down the hill and rested his head on Citrine's. She rubbed behind his ears, "Who's my good Lion? _I_ knew you'd keep ri safe."

Wriggling out of their arms, Morion leaned back on the sand, giggling and trying to catch mor breath.

"Can you shift back?" Amethyst chuckled, warping into an opossum about Ri's size and then back, as if demonstrating the technique.

"I can… but…" Morion's face grew even redder.

"But what?"

"Uhm…" Morion whispered into Amethyst's hair.

"Oh!" Amethyst laughed and stretched a hand out to pull the forgotten pajamas out of Connie's grip. She draped the long shirt over Ri's plated head as Steven scooped all three of them up off the sand in his burly arms.

"We were so worried! What happened?"

Morion's usual form reappeared, head and one arm emerging through the collar, the entire gown backwards. "I know why I've been so tired," Rion squeaked. "I haven't been having weird dreams… I haven't been sleeping at all!"

"You've been sleep-shifting," Pearl nodded and wiped away a stray tear from where she and Garnet stood.

"Wait-" Connie turned to look at her.

"Did you know?" Rion asked.

"Pearl?" Steven eyed her suspiciously.

"Well... you _were_ sleeping as a beaver in Amethyst's room yesterday…"

"Oh yeah Macaroon," Amethyst ribbed. "Ya might want to lay off all the nocturnal animals!"

* * *

**A/N:**

Sorry to everyone who was annoyed by the terrible pun that is "rest for the WERE-y" I could not resist. I tried to pack as many silly animal metaphors and puns into these three chapters as possible, it was lots of fun.

I went back and forth between Macaroon and Macaroni for Ame's closing line, settled on the former because they're sweeter.

Rion's sleep-shifting/dream sequence was one of my favorite scenes to write, hopefully on a second read-through it becomes clear where the sleep walking/dream ended and the disoriented night time stroll began.

So Ri's shifting abilities have been slowly leading toward this, one of the general gem powers that Rion inherits but the others don't, like Cairn's warping abilities. Ri's actually been shifting in minor ways since Bubble Burst, though Steven had no way of knowing it'd develop into anything more than what it was at the time. Another odd thing about Steven when he shifts form, which we've only seen in Cat Fingers is that he didn't emit light like the Gems do when they shapeshift, and the cats were white, yellow, orange, and dark brown, which are outside of Steven's "color palette." The Gems - or rather Amethyst as she's who we most often see shifted - seem more restricted in their color range. Since I kept the color restriction for Cairn's _lightfitting_ (Re:_ Model Behavior_)_, _I also applied the color restriction to Morion's shapeshifting.

In case you were wondering about the "dreams" Rion described back in _Early Worm_, one was when ri was shifted into a small mouse and was lost in mor own blankets and the other was when ri had shifted into a bat and was hanging from the ceiling and picking up sonar. Both of those animals, along with beavers, pangolin, and white-tailed dear are all nocturnal mammals. _Sheep_ however, are diurnal, and thus sleep at night.

Thanks to Mechafone and Benevoson for proof reading!


	23. Parry Parry

_Cairn perfects a few new techniques during an intense training match, injuring himself and Citrine in the process. [mild blood warning]_

_Kids ages: 17/15/13_

* * *

_Twang Twang_

The sound of the metal swords striking echoed repeatedly off the ancient pillars.

Cairn, having trained with blades for years with Connie and Pearl, had spent the last year catching Citrine up to his skill level. She had always been a much more physical fighter, crashing through enemies and obstacles alike, and her cannons only seemed to reinforce her natural approach. She knew she couldn't always rely on their firepower, _but you can't run through a sword._

She was grateful he was willing to devote so much time to their practice. He was still much faster than her, a trait Citrine adamantly attributed to his gem. But Citrine could take more hits, deliver stronger blows, and had healing powers (_she_ wasn't too proud to admit those were _definitely _gem related). Cairn never seemed to tire, but Citrine's recent training with Garnet and Amethyst had built up her own stamina. So typically the siblings' matches depended on someone losing focus in order to end.

This time around Cairn had gotten in a few good hits, and he still easily avoided most of her attacks, but as time dragged on, and twilight descended upon them, he grew frustrated and shifted to the offensive.

_Shing Twang_

_Parry Parry_

With a twist he'd spent months teaching her how to perfect, Citrine disarmed him, sending his blunted training blade flying, before setting her own blade's capped tip against the exposed gem at the base of his sternum. Trapping him between the pillar and her sword. Citrine frowned at the plastic tip against the smoky brown facets. Cairn hadn't worn a protective training jacket since winning a bet by besting Holo-Pearl after claiming they cramped his style at age 10, but if he was going to be this careless with his gem maybe it was time to make him reconsider…

Typically Cairn would yield at this point. They'd shake hands, trade observations, go home and eat dinner with their super-powered part-alien family. Without a weapon, he was powerless.

But he was _frustrated_... and he was tired of being overpowered.

With a sudden surge of energy he grabbed the sword between them with his bare hand, pulling it toward _and then_ _into _his glowing gem. The front half of the blade disappeared into him, until his bleeding fist rested directly against his chest.

Citrine's shock was immediately incapacitating. She let go of the hilt and stumbled back, horrified at the sight of her sword lodged deep in her sibling's chest. He let go and her eyes were drawn to the red streaks on his palm and fingers.

He held his breath, increasing the pressure in his body as if the gem was just another orifice and the pressure would make the sword pop back out. It shouldn't have worked, but as was often the case with Gem magic, the belief that it _would _was enough to make it happen. The bloodied blade fell to the ground with a sickening twang, but neither Universe teen spared it a glance… because the cold metal wasn't the only thing that had emerged.

Like a projection of the hard form version before it, a shimmering rapier emerged and hovered silently in front of him. With his uninjured hand, he firmly grasped the grip, instantly recognizing its perfect fit and weight. He smiled triumphantly… and advanced in a most theatrical of reversals.

He swung toward her, and she hastily summoned her own weapon by swinging her arm behind her, bringing her cannon-clad forearm up in time to block his advance.

_Parry_

She winced at the dull pain but had no time to process it before repeating the maneuver with her right arm, summoning a second cannon to block his attack from the opposite side. She flung her arm out, creating a blinding arc of sparks where their gem-weapons slid along each other, dropping her throbbing left arm as the cannon there flickered pitifully before disappearing all together.

_Parry_

Eyes instinctively clenched closed to avoid the spray of light, she only felt what happened next. His gem-summoned small sword touched her where her training one had touched his gem not moments before… but his weapon wasn't blunted, and she had no magical pocket dimension for it to sink into.

"_Dyah-Ow_!" she gasped as blood blossomed across her chest.

Her blood startled him as much as his had startled her earlier, and he quickly tossed the blade aside and rushed to help her remove the not-so-protective layer of not-so-white-now training gear. The sweat from her chest had already started working its healing magic on the wound, but she wiped her brow and added that sweat directly onto the small Y-shaped wound on her lower chest before reaching out and grabbing Cairn's bloody hand.

"Holy Hay, Cairngorm!" She wiped her sweaty thumb against his wounds, "_That's_ your weapon!?" They glanced over to the discarded fallow-tinted sword, which seemed to have been waiting for their full attention before vanishing in a flashy puff of off-white smoke. "_Dramatic_... but what were you thinking!?"

"In a real battle you can't stop, Citrine! Gems-"

"This isn't a real battle!" She shouted back. He scoffed and she continued, "You aren't a real Gem, Cairn!"

"Uuuhg, I know-" He stalked away from her to retrieve his training sword.

"No! I'm not saying you aren't-" Citrine groaned and shook her head, she wasn't using the right words, "Real Gems wouldn't be bleeding, we'd be in our gemstones, regenerating, not wiping sweat on ourselves! You think that's a good tactic that gems would use? _Poof _and then leave their gemstones defenseless at the feet of their enemies?!"

"_Uhhg_!" Cairn yelled in frustration as he threw the blade into the bin with the rest of their training gear, disgusted at the whole mess: how Gems might attack hadn't been on his mind. He hadn't been in training mode, running _her _through a simulation… he had been fighting her as if she was a test for _himself_. Maybe they had both failed… at least he had finally summoned up a useful gem power.

He flinched when an unexpected hand touched his shoulder.

"...what's gotten into you lately?" Citrine asked, her earlier mask of anger dropped to reveal the genuine worry she felt about him, "You seem... even more restless than usual," she tried to joke but it fell flat as the silence stretched on. "Cairn?" She leaned up backwards against the bin, planting her hands on the rim, nudging him with her shoulder and giving him a stubborn look that said, _I can wait all night._

"I don't know," He sighed, figuring talking about it couldn't hurt, even if he doubted it would help. "I can't explain it… I just… I get the feeling I'm missing something. Like I'm supposed to be somewhere… somewhere _else. _Do you ever feel like that?"

Citrine frowned, trying to think, "No? I can't imagine living anywhere else. Beach City is-"

"No, Cit, I mean, I mean _someplace else," _he looked up at the stars, now clearly visible past the clouds of the training arena.

"You mean… _off planet?!"_

"Do you think I'm just imagining it?"

She shrugged, considering, "I dunno… gem stuff can be weird… let's get home and grab dinner."


	24. Thrust (Parry Parry: Part 2)

_**If you got a story alert linking you to this chapter, check the story description for the name/number of the most recent chapter! FFN won't let me post new chapters as anything but the final chapter.**_

_Cairn returns home with Citrine after summoning his gem weapon for the first time. [mild residual blood warning]_

_Kids ages: _17/15/13 (Immediately after the events of "Parry Parry")

* * *

"Yo Fam!" Citrine called out energetically as they stepped into the living room, "Mom!" Citrine greeted the only person already present.

"Hey you two, how did- Is that blood!? Steven!" Connie rushed toward them frantically.

"Cairn's fine, I healed him-"

"Cairn's hurt, too? STEVEN! GET OUT-"

"Connie?! Kids!?" Steven stumbled out of the master bathroom, pulling his pants up as he bypassed the stairs and jumped directly down from the loft, landing with a floor-shaking thud.

Connie thrust Cairn's healing hand out toward her husband, but his eyes focused on the same spot Connie's had upon seeing their oldest child. A rosette of blood stained the center of Citrine's crop top, and he worriedly yanked the bottom of it up.

"Dad!" She smacked his hands down and then recoiled from the pain in her left arm.

The temple door flew open and Pearl and Amethyst emerged, weapons at the ready, "Are we being attacked!?"

"Yeah, _by dad_," Citrine scowled as he placed a kiss on her arm and nodded at Cairn's healed hand in approval.

"Citrine already healed it, Mom, its fine," he extricated his hand from her iron grip, flexing it a few times.

"Okay, well," Pearl let out a slightly annoyed yet relieved puff of air and turned to activate her door.

"Wait no no no, wait!" Citrine called out, "Almost everyone is here, family meeting!" Cairn groaned, knowing what this was about, "Morion!" Citrine shouted, "Gar-!"

"I'm here," Garnet stepped out of her own temple room and leaned against the far wall before readjusting her visor, "but Ri's at the garden."

"Nnnnn," Citrine practically vibrated with indecision, "guh! We'll show Ri later, GUYS! Watch what Cairn can do!" She reached behind her and picked up an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter before lodging it across the room at Cairn's gem.

It hit the facets of his trillion-cut gem and split open, sending apple-guts flying out in every direction, splattering everyone save Garnet, "Citrine!"

"Oh, that's _not_ what I meant to happen…"

Cairn shook his head, _might as well get this over with,_ and pushed his lungs against his chest, against the backside of his glowing gem. He heard the gasps of the others as his weapon materialized before him.

It was already so familiar to him, as if he'd always known this part of himself. The long straight blade was a lighter color than the cairngorm on his chest, with a bell guard that perfectly matched his gem and was detailed in a motif of dancing stars and feathers. The Y shaped cross section of the blade matched the pierce he'd given Citrine earlier, and he shivered at the unpleasant memory, grasping the handle which was nearly as dark as Morion's gem.

"Swish," he decided, holding the blade in front of him. Good swords needed names after all.

Pearl was the first to react, coming up to examine his gem's handiwork, "A fencing sabre... should suit your speed well," her eyes moved to the bell guard, "wonderful detailing," then trailed worriedly back up the razor sharp edge, "be careful with that tip though. Left handed?" She asked, stepping back to give him some space as he performed a few rudimentary maneuvers.

Cairn frowned down at his empty dominant hand, the one he'd sacrificed earlier, but was already back to good. He held his hand in front of his chest, and summoned a twin, "Or right... Flick," he smiled as Pearl clapped her hands and Steven slapped him on the back with a hearty laugh.

"Great job, Littler Man!" Amethyst praised before turning aside to Citrine, "but what was with the apple murder?"

Citrine laughed nervously, face blushing with embarrassment, "Well, you know, it's family tradition to get attacked as soon as you learn to summon your weapon, right?"

* * *

**AN:** This was outlined/written much later than Parry Parry, so even though its short I kept them separate for that personal reason and also to avoid a plot/world building issue that I'm _pretty_ sure will be revealed/answered in Sworn to the Sword, which airs tomorrow! I honestly can't remember If the idea for Cairn to have a sword has been around since before the episode synopsis for SttS was released, or if that helped solidify the idea as I developed his character. If you're curious to what his weapon actually is, look up a fencing sabre/saber... its different than the sabre/saber you're probably thinking of, but also _not quite_ a foil or epee.

I don't know what chapter will be ready next (or when), but it won't be one on Morion's weapon... there are other powers to reveal and explain before we get there... and Steven Bomb 2.0 to throw into the pot of fanfiction stew.

Shout out to spiderwilliam13, who saw this coming ;) and to mechafone and 404droidsnotfound/bauble for proofing and being my sounding board!

Also, yes, definitely Harry Potter and Game of Thrones references because Cairn would get them both.

Hope you enjoyed this little QT-Bomb of chapters! Let me know if you'd like more slice-of-life snippets or if you're more interested in the heavier arcs, and faves/reviews are always appreciated! Until next time!

**Story Notes if you just "finished" reading all of this fic: **I post the chapters as I complete them, but I don't write in chronological order (the chapters _are_ in chronological order to try to keep things as simple as possible) In fact, most of the chapters now were released after Parry Parry/Thrust. This chapter will probably be the latest in the story _for a while_, but the story is far from complete, so go ahead and give it a follow if you're interested in more. And shoot me a review if you liked the story or have any feedback or ideas of what you'd like to see. And again, if you'd like to see art and get behind the scenes info related to this story check out/follow the tumblr: QuartizineTrioFic


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